The harm of hookah. Hookah or cigarettes: from what harm is more?

The harm of hookah - in what it is expressed? Scientists from Beirut studied the smoke of the hookah. What did they learn? What contradictions have been found? How was one of the main experiments conducted, and what damage did the hookah indicate? How many cigarettes are replaced by one session of hookah smoking? Why does water in a hookah not reduce the harm of hookah? Dependence on the hookah.

The harm of hookah. Who, where and how to conduct research.

Two new studies conducted by scientists from the American University in Beirut (AUB) and the University of St. Joseph in Beirut (USJ) say that hookah smoke contains a significant amount of harmful chemical substances that can also be found in cigarette smoke. This contradicts the widely held view that water in a hookah plays the role of a smoke catalyst. Thus, the harm of hookah, undoubtedly, exists and must be carefully studied.

Published in 2003, the results of experiments in the AUB indicated a clear harm to the hookah. Experiments have shown that the presence of tar, nicotine and harmful heavy metals has been associated with the grade of tobacco. One of the main experiments was conducted in conditions corresponding to the real session of hookah smoking. In the experiment, 10 g of tobacco was used, 100 three-second breaths were produced with a volume of 0.3 L each with an interval of 30 seconds between them. The nicotine content was 2.25 mg at 0.5-2.25 mg in one cigarette, 2.42 mg of tar compared with 0.5-35 mg in a cigarette. The content of harmful heavy metals, such as silver, beryllium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, lead, in hookah smoke was by an order of magnitude higher than their level in a cigarette. These substances can cause cancer of the respiratory tract, as well as heart disease. Such data undoubtedly indicate that the harm of the hookah for the respiratory and cardiovascular systems is not only quite real, but it can significantly exceed the harm from cigarettes.

The harm of hookah. The amount of nicotine and cancer-forming substances.

Research coordinator Dr. Alan Shikhadeh says that one session of hookah smoking can be equated to smoking about 20 cigarettes, but the content of harmful pitches when smoking hookah in comparison with cigarette smoke is much lower, because the temperature of burning tobacco in the hookah is lower. The combustion temperature of the tobacco in the hookah is 450 degrees, while the cigarette tobacco burns at 900. Such a difference in the amount of nicotine obtained indicates a significant harm to the hookah for various body systems, despite the smaller amount of inhaled tar.

Studies conducted in the USJ, say that although the water in the hookah and delays a certain amount of nicotine, this does not reduce the amount of harmful cancerous substances in the smoke. The harm of a hookah, thus, can appear much stronger than harm from cigarettes. In addition, a hookah smoker to consume the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette smoker should smoke much more tobacco. This, in turn, will lead to the consumption of more cancer-forming substances.

The harm of hookah. Dependence and finale.

There is an opinion that, despite the smaller amount of nicotine in the smoke, smoking a hookah can lead to addiction. Even if you ignore the question of whether a dependence can be formed, in any case, the harm of the hookah will be caused because the hookah smokers are still under the influence of cancer-forming substances, such as benzopyrene. These substances can lead not only to the cancer of the respiratory tract, but also to a decrease in the volume of the lungs, as well as to provoke a decrease in the weight of the newborns if the mother smoked hookah during pregnancy.

Thus, hookah smoking is significantly more harmful than smoking cigarettes, and the harm of hookah can be unambiguously caused to a multitude of body systems, and with constant use, not to mention dependence, have very deplorable consequences.