Waterpipes not a safe alternative to smoking: Study
POSTED December 9, 2009 - 15:03 | POSTED BY Neharika Sabharwal
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on December 9, 2009 - 15:35
Waterpipes, the new form of tobacco use is a popular trend growing in 18-to-24-year olds. However the misconceptions about the safety of the hookah use are widespread and need to be addressed.
Lead investigator Thomas Eissenberg, a professor in the psychology department at Virginia Commonwealth University said, "This study can be used to dispel the myth that waterpipe tobacco smoking is a less lethal way of smoking tobacco.
He added, "The take home message is clear. If people are smoking tobacco in a waterpipe to avoid poisonous gasses like carbon monoxide and addictive chemicals like nicotine, they are making a big mistake."
A comparative study conducted
Eissenberg and colleagues conducted a study under controlled conditions to compare the two types of smoking. They enrolled 31 volunteers aged 18-50 years who completed two 45-minute smoking sessions, using a waterpipe and a single cigarette.
At the end of each session, the investigators measured the levels of nicotine and carbon monoxide in blood along with the heart rate, number of puffs taken and the puff volume.
Observations by researchers
The researchers found that the volunteers had higher concentrates of carbon monoxide and about the same amount of nicotine after using a hookah as the conventional cigarette.
In addition, waterpipe generated 48 times the volume of smoke as opposed to smoking a cigarette. Both the conventional cigarette smoking as well as waterpipe increased heart rate.
Eissenberg declared, “The results (of this study) are important because they provide concrete, scientific evidence that contradicts the oft-repeated myth that water pipe tobacco smoking does not involve users inhaling the same harmful chemicals that cigarette smokers do.”
Dangers of waterpipe smoking
Hookah smoking points to dangers that are similar to those linked with cigarette smoking. It is linked to health hazards like malignancy, impaired pulmonary function, low birth weight, and many others. Infectious diseases could also result from pipe sharing.
Eissenberg concluded, “We hope that these results will be used by physicians and public health officials to inform water pipe tobacco smokers that they risk tobacco-induced nicotine addiction and cardiovascular disease.”
The study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, was sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service.
