Is Hookah Smoking Safer Than Smoking Cigarettes?
Smoking a hookah is not less dangerous than smoking cigarettes.
The water in the hookah does not filter out the harmful substances in the tobacco smoke, and using a hookah does not make the tobacco any less dangerous than smoking a cigarette. Because they inhale a lot of smoke during a single session that might last up to 60 minutes, hookah users may actually breathe in more smoke than cigarette smokers do.
Between 7 and 22 milligrams (mg) of nicotine are found in a typical produced cigarette, with the smoker absorbing roughly 1mg of that amount.
The nicotine content of a typical hookah bowl is equal to that of a pack of 20 cigarettes.
Because inhaling through the water pipe necessitates a harder and longer drag or inhale, hookah smokers may inhale more of the extra pollutants, such as tar and heavy metals, present in cigarettes.
Hookah Smoking Health Risks
Although studies on hookah smoking are still in their early stages, data suggests that it is dangerous in numerous ways:
- High levels of harmful substances, including tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing substances, can be found in hookah smoke (carcinogens). In actuality, hookah smokers are more exposed to smoke and carbon monoxide than cigarette smokers are.
- Hookah smoking has the same negative health effects as cigarette smoking, including heart disease, lung cancer, and mouth cancer.
- Smoking a hookah delivers almost the same amount of nicotine as smoking cigarettes, which could result in dependence.
- The same risks that come with passive smoking apply to hookah smoke.
- Babies born to pregnant women who smoke hookah risk having low birth weights.
- Inappropriate cleaning of hookah pipes used in hookah bars and cafes puts customers’ health at danger.
