The appearance of full-page color ads for a hookah establishment in recent issues of the Daily Lobo prompted me to revisit the issue of hookahs and your health.
Many people think that smoking hookah is harmless, or at least better for you than cigarettes.
The popular myth is that the water filters out the bad stuff. Not so. Please read on.
A hookah is a water pipe. Other names for hookah include nargile, sheesha, okka, kalyan and hubbly-bubbly. The pipe is used for smoking a flavored-tobacco mixture, which is placed in a small bowl at the top.
From the bowl, a hollow pipe leads straight down into a chamber called the base, which is partly filled with water. The pipe extends below the water’s surface. From the side of the base, above the water line, a hose leads to a mouthpiece.
To smoke hookah, you light a piece of charcoal, place it on top of the tobacco mixture, put the mouthpiece in your mouth, and suck hard. The smoke goes down the pipe, bubbles up through the water into the air at the top of the base chamber, up the hose and into your lungs.
Hookahs have been around for centuries, probably originating in the Middle East or India, where it is a common social custom for men to gather, smoking and chatting for hours.
In the U.S., the hookah has become popular in recent years, especially with young people of both sexes. Hookah smoking is promoted as an aesthetic social activity, touting the sweet smell of tobacco and the bubbling sound of the water as pleasant, relaxing influences.
A typical hookah session lasts two or three hours and involves several friends smoking from the same pipe. Commercial hookah bars have sprung up across the country. There are at least five here in Albuquerque.
Typically, the mixture smoked in a hookah pipe is one-third tobacco and two-thirds flavoring. Flavorings may include molasses, dried fruit, honey and other ingredients. The resulting aroma was likened to a baking apple pie by one hookah-selling website. Sounds pretty benign, doesn’t it? It isn’t. Like many fads, it is hyped with false claims in order to increase its popularity and profits.
Tobacco is tobacco, no matter how you get it, and tobacco smoke is hazardous.
In fact, hookah smokers fill their lungs with more smoke than cigarette smokers, and here’s why:
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Cigarette smoke is uncomfortably hot if you inhale it deeply. Hookah smoke has been cooled by its passage through the water. In addition, you have to inhale hard to pull the smoke through the pipe and water. The result is cooler smoke going farther into your lungs. Add to that the duration of a typical hookah session, and the result is huge volumes of smoke being deposited into your lungs.
A World Health Organization study showed that one hookah session can deliver as much smoke into your lungs as 100 cigarettes. Five packs! Rarely does a cigarette smoker get that much in one day.
Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance that is not filtered out by the water in a hookah. In addition to nicotine, you are pulling other dangerous substances through that hose.
Tar is not water-soluble, so it comes through the pipe, the same amount in one session as in a whole pack of cigarettes.
Tar causes cancer. Other carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) also make it through, like heavy metals and carbon monoxide. In fact, because of the burned charcoal on top of the tobacco mixture, hookah smoke has a higher level of heavy metals and carbon monoxide than cigarette smoke.
Hookah smokers risk getting lung, lip, tongue and bladder cancer.
As you must know by now, tobacco smoke affects the cardiovascular system, causing an increased blood pressure and heart rate and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Smoke of any kind is also a lung irritant, which can trigger asthma and allergies. And, of course, the bad effects of any kind of secondhand smoke are well-studied.
In addition to the tobacco, there are the smoked flavorings to consider. Unfortunately, nobody has studied the effects of inhaling dried apricots, but I would bet they aren’t all good.
Finally, think about sharing the mouthpiece. It’s like kissing everyone in the group. Hookah pipes can spread herpes, flu, strep throat, a cold, even tuberculosis.
I’m a big believer in social gatherings and relaxation time. By all means, gather away, and relax like crazy.
But if you are concerned with the health of your young lungs, think about gathering around a cup of tea or coffee, or relaxing with exercise and a bath instead of a water pipe.
And if you are already addicted to any form of tobacco, I strongly urge you to quit. Call Health Education at 277-7947 or NM Quit Line at 800-784-8669 for help quitting.
Peggy Spencer, MD, has been a UNM student health physician for 17 years. Drop your questions in her box in the lobby of Student Health and Counseling, or e-mail her directly at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered, and all questioners will remain anonymous. This column has general health information only and cannot replace a visit to a health care provider.
