Nearly 1 in every 13 (7.8%) high school students in the United States had used a hookah to smoke tobacco during the previous year. There are a few things that are beneficial compared to cigarette smoking: Less problem with your teeth. The amount of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 milliliters (ml), compared with 500–600 ml inhaled when smoking a cigarette. Hookah tobacco and smoke contain many toxic agents that can cause clogged arteries and heart disease. Hookah tobacco and smoke contain several toxic agents known to cause lung, bladder, and oral cancers. The water in the hookah does not filter out these components. Because of the way a hookah is used, smokers may absorb more of the toxic substances also found in cigarette smoke than cigarette smokers do. Manufacturers have released newer versions of hookahs that use electric heat instead of charcoal. Saving Lives, Protecting People. That means there's no tar in the smoke you're inhaling. An Emerging Deadly Trend: Waterpipe Tobacco Use. Some of the potential health effects of hookah smoke include: People may also increase their risk of respiratory infections if they share the hookah mouthpiece with others. Apple, cherry, mint, and a million other flavors; Sometimes dyes are added—for example, sugar color E150. Quitlines and Other Cessation Support Resources, About Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes), Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults, Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with E-cigarette Use, or Vaping, Tobacco Ingredient and Nicotine Reporting, Government Departments, Agencies, and Resources, American Indians/Alaska Natives and Tobacco Use, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders and Tobacco Use, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons and Tobacco Use, Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use Among People of Low Socioeconomic Status, Tobacco Use and Quitting Among Individuals With Behavioral Health Conditions, What We Know: Tobacco Use and Quitting Among Individuals With Behavioral Health Conditions, Promising Policies And Practices To Address Tobacco Use By Persons With Mental And Substance Use Disorders, New York Implements Tobacco-Free Campus Policies, Grant Funding in Oklahoma Changes Systems for Accessing and Addressing Tobacco Use, Provider Training Results in Hawaii Behavioral Health Facilities Providing Counseling to Help Clients Quit, Texas Provides NRT as Part of a Range of Tobacco Cessation Measures in Mental Health Treatment Settings, New York and Oklahoma Make it Easier for Persons with Behavior Health Conditions to Access Non-Nicotine Cessation Medications, Alaska Native Adult Tobacco Survey Guidance Manual, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Use, 2016 SGR—E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults, Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov Now, you know smoking is bad for you, but how bad is hookah specifically? Other myths about hookah smoking include: While some people believe hookah smoking is a safer and more social alternative to smoking tobacco, it does not offer health benefits and poses several significant health risks. Hookah smokers may be at risk for some of the same diseases as cigarette smokers. Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO. On average, hookah sessions last about 30 minutes to an hour compared to a five-minute cigarette break, prolonging exposure to toxins and harmful chemicals, Maziak said. Previously, hookah tobacco was impregnated with honey and molasses. Also, smoking a hookah delivers more than 2.5 times the amount the nicotine as cigarette smoke, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, quoting research lead by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Why? Despite the health risks of hookah, the trend of smoking hookah is growing in popularity across the world today. Some of the health risks of hookah include cancer, heart diseases, infections, gum diseases, nicotine addiction, second hand smoke etc. The harmful compounds and tiny particles that passed through “represent the equivalent of the emission of one or more entire cigarettes for a single puff of hookah smoke,” according to the study … With regard to hookah, the addictive potential is influenced by the properties of smoke emitted, duration and frequency of use, type of tobacco used, volume of … It also affects the softness of the smoke and even its quantity. Using a hookah exposes a person to tobacco smoke, which contains harmful components, such as carbon monoxide. Hookah Is Not a Safe Alternative to Cigarettes Many people give up cigarettes for hookah assuming that smoking tobacco through a water pipe somehow filters out the bad … CDC twenty four seven. During a typical one-hour hookah session, a user expels into the air 2-10 times the amount of cancer-causing chemicals and other harmful chemicals compared to a cigarette smoker. Office on Smoking and Health Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Using a hookah to smoke tobacco poses serious health risks to smokers and others exposed to the smoke from the hookah. This is partially due to characteristics in the way that shisha smoking is practiced such as the frequency of puffing and depth of inhalation compared to cigarette smoking. However, the University of Cincinnati report early research that a team of its chemists is doing to look at the components of smoke generated by e-charcoal. For example, a single session of waterpipe smoking (which may last about an hour) may deliver as … Hookah smoke contains high levels of toxic compounds, including tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. Hookah is commonly considered a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking, but in reality, hookah exposes users to many of the same risks. Young people may be attracted to the social nature of hookah smoking and to … Usually, hookah smoking is considered safe but in reality it is as harmful, dangerous and addictive as cigarettes. The makers call these e-charcoal heat sources and often market them as a safer alternative to traditional charcoal hookahs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking tobacco through a hookah has “many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking.”. Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes. A hookah is essentially a water pipe with an integrated smoke chamber, attached to a large bowl with a … Hookah … Babies born to hookah smokers are also at increased risk for respiratory diseases. It is now well-known that hookah’s health risks are serious. Some people who know that hookah is bad, go for herbal ‘shisha’ thinking it to be less harmful. The harmful chemicals produced by the charcoal used in the hookah can make the hookah smoke very harmful for your health. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional, Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 live updates: Total number of cases passes 67.6 million, Diabetes drug may decrease COVID-19 death risk in women. The researchers say they have found that e-charcoal smoke kills 80 percent of sample lung cells 24 hours after exposure. Lady smoking hookah and pondering is hookah terrible for you. Monitoring the Future National Survey on Drug Use 1975-2018: Volume II, College Students and Adults Ages 19–60. How Unhealthy Is Hookah? Water pipe smoking delivers nicotine—the same highly addictive drug found in other tobacco products. Smoking hookah on a regular basis can also be connected to secondhand smoke; an … Hookah smoke also requires charcoal to be burnt, which interacts with tobacco, creating fumes that can be just as toxic as cigarette smoke. It’s also called a shisha (or sheesha), hubble-bubble, narghile, and goza. A hookah is a water pipe that allows a person to smoke tobacco, often combining it with sweet flavors, such as apple, chocolate, coconut, licorice, or watermelon. Hookahs are water pipes that are used to smoke specially made tobacco that comes in different flavors, such as apple, mint, cherry, chocolate, coconut, licorice, cappuccino, and watermelon.1,2, Although many users think it is less harmful, hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking.1,2, Hookah is also called narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, and goza.1,2, A typical modern hookah has a head (with holes in the bottom), a metal body, a water bowl, and a flexible hose with a mouthpiece.3,4, Hookah smoking is typically done in groups, with the same mouthpiece passed from person to person.1,2,3,4, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Addiction: As tobacco playing the main role in hookah, thereby addiction naturally occurs. Many people who use hookahs believe hookah smoking is safer than smoking cigarettes, thinking that the tobacco smoke is filtered through water making it cleaner. For too long, hookah was wrongly assumed to be less harmful than cigarettes. Equality in Smoking & Disease: Nobody Wins! 6 7. New forms of electronic hookah products, including steam stones and hookah pens, have been introduced. This is a myth, as the smoke still contains carbon monoxide, a harmful compound, and other toxins. In this article, we look at the health risks associated with hookah smoking. People have used hookahs for centuries in ancient Persia and India. Answer: Pretty bad. The lower-toxin charcoal was found to kill 10 percent of sample lung cells. While many hookah smokers may think this practice is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion In this article…, Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that makes it highly addictive to people who smoke. All rights reserved. This article…, Quitting smoking can be very daunting, but some of the benefits come much faster than anticipated. In 2018, the highest prevalence of use were observed in the Northeast, where 1 in 6 (15.0%) young adults aged 19-30 years had used a hookah to smoke tobacco during the previous year, and in very large cities, where almost 1 in 5 (19.3%) young adults in this age group reported past year use . Those who are around hookah use are also exposed to pollutants in secondhand hookah smoke that are damaging to the lungs. By … Answer: Pretty bad. Is it harmful? In fact, according to a document released by the World Health Organization, a one-hour hookah session is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes based on the volume of tobacco smoke inhaled. The trend of smoking Hookah and waterpipe has been rapidly gaining popularity in the United States equally amongst adults and the budding youth. Hookah smoking is NOT a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Hookah Smoking: A Growing Threat to Public Health Issue Brief. Well, it is not. Today, people often smoke a hookah as a group, at home or in cafes or lounges. Read more about what these mean and how they affect the outlook for…, © 2004-2020 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures Company. In fact, health benefits begin to take effect just…, Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful. Shisha Smoking and Cancer. It contains smoke from the tobacco as well as smoke from the heat source (e.g., charcoal) used in the hookah. This risk is more significant than the higher-toxin charcoal the team tested, which kills 25 percent of lung cells. Acute Effects of Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Control Study. Hookah users often perceive it to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but studies show that the smoke contains many of the same toxic components found in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine, tar and heavy metals. About 1 in every 8 (12.3%) young adults aged 19-30 years had used a hookah to smoke tobacco during the previous year. In fact, hookah smokers are exposed to more carbon monoxide and smoke than are cigarette smokers. Hookah smoke is actually dangerous and carries the same risks (if not more) as cigarette smoking. That already puts it ahead of cigarettes. Gut bacteria and vitamin D: What is the link? Tobacco juices from hookahs irritate the mouth and increase the risk of developing oral cancers. However, nicotine can harm the body on its own. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. Hookah use began centuries ago in ancient Persia and India. An hour-long hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs, while smoking an average cigarette involves 20 puffs. Other names for a hookah include water pipe, narghile, or shisha, the latter being a word that can also refer to the flavored tobacco. Some people have misconceptions that hookah smoking is not harmful to their health or not as dangerous as other smoking types. Last medically reviewed on September 4, 2018, After smoking a cigarette, nicotine and its by-products stay in a person’s urine and saliva for 4 days and blood for up to 10 days. The water in hookah smoke filters harmful ingredients. According to the CDC, a person puffs on a cigarette an average of 20 times, but they may take 200 puffs during an hour-long hookah session. The device works by burning charcoal that will then burn a tobacco mixture, as well as heat up the water. Hookah smoking may seem like a relatively harmless way to spend an evening, but a new study suggests otherwise. Media Inquiries: Contact CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493. A Crossover Study Comparing CO, NO, PAH, Volatile Aldehydes, Tar and Nicotine Yields. The water in hookah smoke does not filter out any harmful chemicals. 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