One reason why there is a rise in Hookah use is because hookah bars, or lounges, are open to any high school senior who is 18.
There, smokers can share one of the devices, which consists of a water base, several mouthpieces, a pipe, charcoal, and a syrupy, often flavored tobacco. Smokers gather in these lounges inhaling the smoke in long sessions with their friends.
Sometimes younger teens will tag along, even though they are not legal to rent hookahs they can socialize during the session and possibly sneak in a puff here and there and not be noticed. Even if they don’t smoke, they can still be exposed to a lot of toxic second-hand smoke as well as third-hand smoke — the toxic residue left on all surfaces after the smoke settles.
Many people, parents and students alike, have concluded that hookahs are a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes, falsely believing that hookah smoke is “better for you” than cigarette smoke and not addictive. In reality, smoking hookah is much worse.
Lounging in a hookah bar for 45-60 minutes can deliver as much tar and nicotine as chain smoking 15 cigarettes and can lead to addiction even if the sessions are occasional, according the the California Department of Public Health.
Hookahs, also known as Shishas, are an aspect of culture from the Middle East, but not a religious practice. Its place is more social and cultural, according to Tondra Cicali of the New Lung Task Force. Therefore, some teens view the practice as “exotic” and that is part of its allure.
According to Cicali hookah is one of the most dangerous forms of inhaled tobacco use because it tricks the users lungs into inhaling more smoke because it’s cooler than smoke inhaled from a hot cigarette near the mouth and lungs.
Some users believe the water in the base of the hookah filters out the harmful compounds, but the smoke that passes through the water in the base is still smoke and not filtered, so it contains high amounts of toxic materials — just in a cooler form. The smoker actually has to breath in much deeper through a hookah pipe than a cigarette and causes the chemicals to penetrate deeper into the lungs.
The mouthpiece on a hookah can also spread many infections diseases such as colds, herpes viruses, oral bacterial infections, and tuberculosis because of the sharing of the mouth pieces among users. Even if clean mouthpieces are used, the hoses may still contain harmful germs according to Cicali.
Another myth about the tobacco in the hookah, is that the fruit added to the flavored tobacco is good for your health and makes the nicotine less addictive. The truth is that the fruit added to the tobacco is just for flavoring. The tobacco still contains high amounts of chemicals that can cause cancer and the resin from the flavoring is another toxin for the lungs.
According to the California Department of Public Health, hookah smoke has eleven times more carbon monoxide than cigarettes, and four times more nicotine than cigarettes. The use of the hookah can lead to nicotine addiction, mouth cancer, infertility, gum disease, and herpes.
