This tobacco trend is toxic for teens
July 10, 2020 / Pediatrics
1. Sharing health risks
Young people may be attracted to the social nature of hookah smoking and to flavors that range from cappuccino to watermelon. However, hookah smokers may share more than just tobacco.
“What teens may not realize is that the risks that come with sharing a hookah range from mono, colds, strep and now potentially COVID-19,” says Dr. Rome. “These risks are amplified by the close proximity of those sharing the hookah and by coughing in each other’s faces with use.”
Herpes, which causes lip/mouth cold sores, and H. pylori, the most common cause of stomach ulcers, can also be passed via the shared mouthpiece.
“In other countries, tuberculosis can be transmitted when hookah smokers cough in each other’s faces and can be cultivated from the hookah water,” says Dr. Rome. “Today, we worry more about spread of COVID-19.”
Besides the regular carcinogens from smoking, the flavorings are often oil-based, and oil is incredibly inflammatory and damaging to small airways in the lungs. Heating elements that have metal coils can also release heavy metal ions that also are inflammatory in lungs, causing damage that can result in substantial harm. Smoking a hookah can lower your lung’s immunity and potentially increase your risk for the coronavirus. (Besides the fact that teens usually smoke in groups, meaning they’re not social distancing!)
2. Cardiovascular effects
The risks of addiction can’t be downplayed. Hookah smokers typically smoke longer and more often, take more puffs and inhale more deeply than cigarette smokers. They absorb more nicotine in higher concentrations because of the way the smoke is cooled.
Moreover, it’s been shown that heavy hookah smoking has been associated with ischemic heart disease, heart failure and coronary artery disease development.
From dental diseases to cardiovascular problems, understanding the harmful effects of smoking hookah are the first steps you can take to start the discussion with your teen.
3. Hookah is more toxic than cigarettes
Aside from the risk of infection, smoke from the hookah contains the same cancer-causing chemicals as cigars and cigarettes. Hookah smokers also inhale carbon monoxide, heavy metals and other toxic compounds given off by the burning charcoal. Smoking in a group setting creates significant secondhand smoke — especially in hookah cafes.
“Hookah is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes,” says Dr. Rome. “A typical one-hour session involves inhaling 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.”
According to a study done on the effects of hookah smoking, plasma nicotine levels were found to be increased in hookah users and the levels were much higher compared to cigarette users.
The risks don’t just stop there.
The CDC reports that tobacco juices from hookahs irritate the mouth and increase the risk of developing oral cancers and gum disease.
Manufacturers have released newer versions of hookahs that use electric heat instead of charcoal. The makers call these e-charcoal heat sources and often market them as a safer alternative to traditional charcoal hookahs.
The CDCTrusted Source say that experts have very little knowledge about the health risks of electronic tobacco products at this stage.
However, the University of Cincinnati report early research that a team of its chemists is doing to look at the components of smoke generated by e-charcoal. The researchers say they have found that e-charcoal smoke kills 80 percent of sample lung cells 24 hours after exposure.
This risk is more significant than the higher-toxin charcoal the team tested, which kills 25 percent of lung cells. The lower-toxin charcoal was found to kill 10 percent of sample lung cells.
As a result, the researchers conclude that e-charcoal hookah options could potentially be more dangerous than their charcoal counterparts.
More published scientific research is now needed to confirm these early results.
Smoking hookah may look glamorous to some, but it’s every bit as addictive as cigarette smoking — and maybe more harmful. But that hasn’t stopped this ancient pastime from seeing a revival among high school and college students.
Hookahs are water pipes resembling slender metal vases. Charcoal is used to heat a sweet, sticky tobacco, producing smoke that is filtered through cooled water. The smoke is inhaled through a flexible hose that is passed from one user to the next. Hookahs come in a wide range of sizes and it’s easy to hide small, 8-inch-tall models in dorm rooms, cars and bathrooms.
Adolescent medicine specialist Ellen Rome, MD, MPH, offers three reasons why smoking a hookah is harmful and how to raise the discussion with your teen.
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