What are the health effects of smoking a hookah pipe?
A hookah pipe is used to smoke a tobacco mixture called shisha. Shisha contains tobacco and flavorings such as fruit pulp, molasses, and honey. The hookah pipe uses coals to heat the shisha, and the smoke that is created passes through tubes and water so it is cooled before it is inhaled. When smoking shisha, a person not only inhales tobacco smoke but also inhales smoke from the burning flavorings. Because hookah smoking is a relatively new activity in the United States, no research is available on the health effects of inhaling smoke from the substance. According to the American Cancer Society, several types of cancer, as well as other negative health effects, have been linked to smoking a hookah pipe. Passing the smoke through water may remove some compounds, but research shows that many toxins remain in the water-filtered smoke. These toxins include nicotine, which is the highly addictive compound in tobacco smoke. Consequently, hookah users suffer the same effects of nicotine use
