TOBACCO 101: Are Hookahs better for you than cigarettes?

Hookahs – Indian and Middle Eastern water pipes like those used by the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland – have become increasingly popular with college-age teens, with hookah bars multiplying like white rabbits around university campuses. Near Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) alone, there are two hookah bars right on the campus boundaries. And of course, college-age teens are big influencers of high school teens.

Researchers at VCU are finding that about 20 percent of college students are smoking hookahs and there’s a misperception among many that the hookah may be less dangerous than cigarettes or cigars, says Linda Hancock, director of VCU’s Office of Health Promotion.
“What students don't seem to get is that hookahs do have nicotine and they do have very toxic chemicals in the smoke because the tobacco and fruit flavorings are moist, so they have to light a piece of charcoal on fire to keep it lit,” Hancock says.

In fact, she adds, “Hookah smoke is MORE toxic than tobacco smoke.”

Many college students believe that hookah smoking “is a safe alternative because the harmful toxins in tobacco are being filtered out in the water, but this is false,” Hancock says. “Hookah smoke still contains nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other hazardous substances. According to the American Cancer Society, these harmful toxins are linked to different types of cancers, primarily lung, heart disease and asthma.”

Thomas Eissenberg, a VCU psychology professor who co-authored a study of hookahs, has said that a hookah, which is typically smoked for about 45 minutes, delivers 36 times more tar, 15 times more carbon monoxide and 70 percent more nicotine than a cigarette.