In my previous blog, I described what a hookah pipe is, how it functions, why they’re becoming so popular, and the effect the tobacco used has on people.  In this blog I will continue to talk about water pipes but I will explain why they are bad for you, and as many people are unaware, the effects of smoking hookah can be worse and more detrimental than cigarettes.

A study done at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma center, to test whether the health risks with hookah pipes were higher than those of cigarettes, “found that water-pipe smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking, nor is it likely to be an effective harm-reduction strategy.”  The experiment compared men and women who had smoked 11 cigarettes a day or 3 hookah pipe sessions.  The study “found that the participants inhaled acrylamide (linked with damage to the nervous system), acrolein (which can irritate the eye, throat and nose), benzene, carbon monoxide and naphthalene (which can damage red blood cells) when they smoked hookah. Levels of benzene byproduct were doubled and breath levels of carbon monoxide were more than doubled after the participants smoked hookah, compared with smoking cigarettes. Researchers did find that nicotine intake was lower among the hookah-smokers than the cigarette smokers.” 

Although the nicotine intake was lower in hookah smokers than in cigarette smokers, the other substances must be accounted for.  Most people who smoke hookah are between the ages of 18 and 24 and most cigarette smokers are between 22 and 44.  

Also, because hookah pipes allow low levels of nicotine to be inhaled, the amount of smoke taken in by smokers is far greater.  This can be dangerous because more smoke means that more toxins and chemicals, such are carbon monoxide are taken in. Another important difference between smoking cigarettes and smoking hookah pipes is that hookah pipes do not have filters, which does not help with all the extra metals and other toxins that are in the tobacco and pipe itself.

One of the biggest problems with hookah is how unaware people are of its negative side-effects and how easily they can fall into the trap.  Yes, it is true that hookah is a group activity and is something to easily socialize over.  However, this can be a major issue.  It is sometimes easy to forget how long you’ve been doing something if you’re enjoying yourself and in good company.  The longer time that is spent with a water pipe, the more puffs are inhaled.  An average hour long session with a water pipe is around 200 puffs, vs. the 20 puffs of a cigarette.  In this hour, it is approximated as an intake of smoke measuring “90,000 milliliters (ml), compared with 500-600 ml inhaled when smoking a cigarette”  The fruity flavors of the hookah also contribute to a distraction.  Because hookah doesn’t actually taste bad, as cigarettes are commonly known to,  it is possible that people feel more comfortable smoking hookah for longer periods of time.  In addition, because hookah is usually done in groups, there is a lot of passing around.  Although it is now common for many hookah bars to pass around plastic covers for the pipe, many places are a place for mouth germs to come crawling in.

It is not uncommon for many people to own hookah pipes, or to be smoking out on the college green on a nice day.  However, people must not forget that as enjoyable of an experience smoking hookah might be, the physical health effects are not something to be taken lightly.