Hookah smoking is a fast but still newly emerging trend in the United States; moreover, it is more common with youngsters and college students. Hookah smoking originated in Persia and India as a social, after-the-meal activity hundreds of years ago, and has caught on fact in America since the past few years. The concept of hookah smoking in America is also more of a social activity that is supposed to add to a social gathering than anything else. Compared to cigarettes, many people believe that hookah smoking has very insignificant health effects than cigarette smoking, not to mention the fact that hookah smoking is not addictive.
Many people, especially those involved in preparing high-quality hookahs and serving them in the many hookah bars and restaurants springing up in the country believe that the tobacco used in hookahs does not affect health negatively because there is a filter present in the hookah that filters out the harmful substances in the tobacco smoke. This filter is in the form of water present in the water reservoir in the base of the hookah; when a person inhales through the mouthpiece the tobacco is burned and the smoke is taken through the water, which takes out nicotine, tar and other heavy metals from the smoke, to the rubber hose and into the mouthpiece.
Since hookah smoking has become such a popular trend, it has been subject to various to research studies, many of which have revealed that the negative health effects of hookah smoking can be the same, if not greater, than cigarette smoking. According to a study by World Health Organization, a forty minute hookah smoking session can expose an individual to the same amount of tobacco as 100 cigarettes; furthermore, even if the nicotine level present in hookah is small, the more a person smokes a hookah or the frequently he does it, exposes him to the same or more amount of tobacco smoke as cigarette addiction. Since tobacco smoke is related to various health problems such as asthma and lung cancer, users should be aware of the frequency of hookah smoking as well the length of time they smoke hookah. Many researchers also believe that the water filter in the hookah does not effectively filter out the nicotine and tar from the tobacco smoke, meaning that unlike cigarettes, hookah smokers may even be exposed to more amount of tobacco than anticipated. But this theoretical possibility is still under consideration.
While many other medical possibilities suggest that hookah smoke may contain levels of carbon monoxide depending upon the type of hookah, tobacco and charcoal being used in the hookah; the negative effects of hookah for the moment only depend upon the method of hookah smoking. It is basically a social activity meant to encourage social gatherings and it is not addictive meaning that an individual should expose him or herself to hookah smoking occasionally and that too, for only a short amount of time in order to escape the harmful effects that can present themselves from persistent and frequent hookah smoking.
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