College Students Mostly Unaware of the Dangers of Smoking Hookah

As the semester rolls on, more and more pictures seem to appear on facebook and myspace profiles, revealing happy faces surrounded by smoke. The smoke around these individuals comes from a very popular social tradition that involves smoking from a hookah.

Hookah, also known as nargile, goza and shisha, is a pipe filled with water which filters the tobacco inhaled through the hose. It was first introduced in Turkey about 500 years ago when, instead of tobacco, the villagers used opium and hashish. Today it has become very popular among the college population. Smokeshop Magazine reported two years ago that 200 to 300 new hookah cafes have opened up in the United States since 1999, many near college campuses.

"It's just a fun thing to do with your friends, especially when there is good music," sophomore Dina Gusovsky said. Hookah tends to relax the user; by participating in the process along with other friends, it brings an atmosphere of comfort.

The question is: what is everyone really smoking? A study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) said "Using a water pipe is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. Even after it has been passed through water, the smoke produced by a water pipe contains high level of toxic components, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals." Such a claim brought a shock to sophomore Marianna Novosad, who, like most hookah users, did not know about the dangers.

The myth that claims hookah-smoking is safe can be traced back to the words of a Turkish man who introduced the water pipe. He claimed the water inside the smoke chamber is able to filter most of the smoke's chemicals, after which only the flavor of tobacco is inhaled. Researchers from the San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health (SDSU) recently said that hookah contains significant amounts of tar, heavy metals and nicotine, as stated on Smokeshop magazine.

"During a typical hour-long hookah smoking session, the inhaled volume of smoke is equal to 200 cigarettes, and nicotine content is equivalent to 70 cigarettes," SDSU researchers said. Studies also show the water pipe smoke contains 8.4 times the amount of carbon monoxide which leads to cardiac disease if chronically exposed. It can also cause bronchitis, emphysema, heart diseases and several types of cancer.

Another myth about hookah is that it is not an addictive drug; it lets users come back for another fix without guilt.

"While the water does absorb some of the nicotine, water pipe smokers can be exposed to a significant dose of this drug to cause addiction," WHO researchers said.

The government's official researchers are just beginning to see the problem of this new trend. It has not yet been confirmed that hookah is more harmful than cigarettes or vise versa, but facts are coming in fast. As research continues, the myth is becoming more of a lie.