Potential Health Risks of Hookah Smoking are Being Overlooked
“Researchers are finding that people perceive hookah smoking as a safer and healthier means of tobacco use. However, toxicological research is finding elements in hookah smoke that are well-established to cause adverse health effects,” says Norbert E. Kaminski, PhD, SOT President 2014-2015. Studies show that hookah use is associated with potentially dangerous chemicals and health effects: Chemicals produced during one hookah smoking session of 45 to 60 minutes can equal those produced by smoking 10 or more cigarettes. Hookah use generates carcinogens, such as benzene, and has been linked to lung cancer and loss of lung function. Similar peak plasma…
Hookah Use: Myths and Misperceptions
Commentary by Thomas Eissenbug, PhD == In recent years, there has been an increase in hookah use around the world, most notably among youth and university students. The United States is not immune. The Monitoring the Future survey for 12th grade students found that in 2012, 18.3% of high school seniors in the United States had used hookahs in the past year, up from 17.1% in 2010. Other studies of young adults indicate that hookah smoking is more prevalent among university students in the United States, with past-year use ranging from 22 percent to 40 percent. The Food and Drug…