How Harmful is Hookah to Your Health?
Jake Newby
| 3 min read
Key Takeaways
- In many cultures, it’s typical for hookah smoking sessions to last an hour or more, meaning a person may take dozens or even hundreds of puffs per session.
- In a single smoking session, a person using a hookah can be exposed to nearly nine times more carbon monoxide and 1.7 times more nicotine than from a single cigarette.
- Hookah is linked to health risks like lung cancer, heart disease, reduced lung function and poor reproductive health.
- Additionally, smoking hookah carries addiction risk, due to the nicotine it contains.
Smoking hookah may look classy compared to smoking cigarettes, but it is just as harmful to your health. It may even be more toxic, according to some research.
Popular among young people in the 18-to-24 age group, hookah is associated with some health risks you might expect and others that may surprise you.
What is hookah?
Hookah is a social activity in many cultures that typically takes place in a group setting. Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke specially made tobacco mixtures. A typical hookah has a head, a metal body, a water bowl and a flexible hose with a mouthpiece that is used to inhale tobacco smoke. The tobacco is heated with charcoal then passes through water to cool down and make it easier to deeply inhale.
In many cultures, it’s typical for hookah smoking sessions to last an hour or more, meaning a person may take dozens or even hundreds of puffs per session.
Is hookah bad for you?
It is a common misconception that because hookah passes through water it filters out many of the toxic chemicals, but this is not true, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The water in the hookah does not filter out the toxins.
A 2019 study revealed hookah smokers are exposed to even higher levels of the same toxins and by-products found in cigarettes because of the length of the average smoking session. The volume of smoke inhaled in one hookah-smoking session can rival that of multiple packs of cigarettes.
In a single smoking session, a person using a hookah can be exposed to nearly nine times more carbon monoxide and 1.7 times more nicotine than from a single cigarette, per the CDC.
Does hookah have nicotine?
Additionally, hookah smoke contains many of the same harmful components found in cigarette smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including:
- Nicotine
- Tar
- Heavy metals
What are the health risks of smoking hookah?
Hookah use is linked to many of the same adverse health effects as cigarette smoking. Here are the diseases and conditions linked to smoking hookah:
Cancer: As with cigarette smoking, hookah smoking is linked to the following types of cancer:
- Bladder
- Esophageal
- Lung
- Oral
Heart disease: Hookah tobacco and smoke contain many toxic agents that can cause clogged arteries and heart disease, according to the CDC.
Reduced lung function: In addition to the carcinogen exposure that presents lung cancer risk, hookah’s oil-based flavorings are considered inflammatory and damaging to small airways in the lungs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Poor reproductive health: The CDC states smoking during pregnancy can impact the health of babies, potentially causing low birth weight and increased risk for respiratory diseases in babies born to people who smoke hookah.
Other diseases associated with germ transmission: Using an unclean pipe or sharing a pipe with other smokers carries risk of other diseases, according to the Mayo Clinic, which says it could raise your chance of getting:
Additionally, smoking hookah carries addiction risk, according to the FDA, due to the nicotine it contains. Nicotine can change the way the brain works, causing cravings for more of it.
How to quit smoking hookah
A Tobacco Quit Program is available to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members looking to quit smoking. Click here to learn more about the program. Members can also call 1-888-229-2182.
Here are additional options for non-members in Michigan:
Visit the MI Tobacco Quitlink website to learn how to quit smoking with free medication, coaching and more. You can also call the CDC’s quit line by dialing all1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).
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Photo credit: Getty Images
