A hookah also
known as a waterpipe or arghile, is a single or multi-stemmed
(often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled by
water. The tobacco smoked is referred to as shisha (sheesha) in the United
Kingdom, United States and Canada. The practice of smoking tobacco
through elaborate water pipes emerged centuries ago, in the palaces and harems
of the Middle East. But experts say hookahs are now almost as popular in Denver
as they are in Damascus, with the current fad for water-pipe use growing among
U.S. college students. Hookahs became very popular in the U.S., but they are
also coming back in the Middle East. The popularity is on the rise even on the
relatively new markets, like Germany, Brazil, or Thailand -- where they were
recently outlawed. While cigarette use has largely fallen out of favor with the
college crowd, the exotic allure of hookahs -- and the misperception
that hookah smoke is filtered and safer -- may be driving the trend.
The hookah, also called nargile, is comprised of
four parts -- the head, where burning charcoal heats a bed of tobacco; the
body, through which inhaled smoke is drawn into the third section, a
water-filled bowl at the hookah's base, and the hose, a flexible pipe through
which the user inhales the smoke after it has bubbled through the water.
Hookah Components
Hookah consists
of a number of components, four of which are essential for its operation.
Bowl
Also known as the
head of the hookah, the bowl is a container, usually made out of clay or
marble, that holds the coal and tobacco during the smoking session. The bowl is
loaded with tobacco then covered in a small piece of perforated aluminum foil
or a glass or metal screen. Lit coals are then placed on top, which allows the
tobacco to heat to the proper temperature.
There is also a
variation of the head which employs a fruit rather than the traditional clay
bowl. The fruit is hollowed out and perforated in order to achieve the same
shape and system a clay bowl has, then it is loaded and used in the same
manner.
Bowls have
evolved in recent years to incorporate new designs that keep juices in the
tobacco from running down the stem. The Tangiers Phunnel Bowl and Sahara Smoke
Vortex Bowl are two examples of such bowls.
Windscreen
A Hookah Cover
windscreen is a cover which sits over the bowl area, with some form of air
holes. This prevents wind from increasing the burn rate and temperature of the
coal, and prevents ash and burning embers from being blown onto the surrounding
environment. This may also offer some limited protection from fire as it may
prevent the coal from being ejected if the hookah is bumped.
Hose
Technically if
the pipe has a hose it is not "hookah"—the term historically referred
to a straight-neck tube. Today the hose (one or more) is a slender flexible
tube that allows the smoke to be drawn for a distance, cooling down before
inhalation. The end is typically fitted with a metal, wooden, or plastic
mouthpiece of various shape, size, color or material type.
Purge valve
Many hookah are
equipped with a purge valve connected to the airspace in the water jar to purge
stale smoke which has been sitting unused in the jar for too long. This one-way
valve is typically a simple ball bearing sitting over a port which seals the
port by gravity alone and will open if positive pressure is created by blowing
into the hose. The bearing will be held captive with a screw-on cover. The
cover should be opened and the bearing and seat cleaned of residue and
corrosion regularly to ensure proper sealing.
Water jar
The body of the
hookah sits on top of the water jar, or sometimes referred to as vase, or base.
The downstem hangs down below the level of the water in the jar. Smoke passes
through the body and out the downstem where it bubbles through the water. This
cools and humidifies the smoke. Liquids such as fruit juice may be added to the
water or used in substitution. Pieces of fruit, mint leaves, and crushed ice
may be added.
Plate
A plate or
ashtray sits just below the bowl to catch ashes falling off the coals.
Grommets
Grommets in a
hookah are usually placed between the bowl and the body, the body's gasket and
the water jar and between the body and the hose. The grommets, although not
essential (the use of paper or tape has become common), will help to seal the
joints between the parts, therefore decreasing the amount of air coming in and
maximizing the smoke breathed in.
Diffuser
A piece attached
to the bottom of the stem, usually made of plastic and in a grid pattern, to
make a smoother smoke and a subdued noise. By breaking the naturally larger
bubbles coming up the water from the pipe into smaller ones, it lowers the
amount of suction or "pull" needed to continue bringing smoke to the
chamber. This also cools the smoke down more efficiently. It is used as a
luxury item for a premium smoking experience and is not a required component.
Flavors of hookah tobacco
Hookah tobacco comes in many types of flavors, such as
fruit, candy, dessert, and spice flavors. Some of the fruit flavors include:
apple (caramel, double, green, red, or sour), apricot, banana, blueberry,
cantaloupe, cherry, cherry banana, coconut, grape, guava, kiwi, lemon,
lemon-lime, mandarin, mango, melon, mixed fruit, oranges, passion fruit, peach,
pear, pineapple, pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry, strawberry kiwi, and
watermelon.
Candy/dessert/spice flavors include: banana split, bubble
gum, candy, cappuccino, caramel, chocolate mint, cinnamon, coffee, cola,
frappucino, honey, jasmine, licorice, mint, molasses, orange soda, pistachio,
red tea, root beer, rose, and vanilla.
Differences between hookah smoking and cigarette
smoking
Many differences are
apparent when comparing waterpipe to cigarette smoking. In general, compared to cigarette smoking,
waterpipe smoking is characterized by less frequent exposure (one to four
sessions per day) but with a much more intense exposure per session which
varies between 15 and 90 minutes. The uptake of tobacco nicotine is equivalent
to 2–12 cigarettes per portion of tobacco used (hagar). A regular user of
waterpipes usually smokes several hagar per session and on average hagar smokes
2–3 sessions per day. This translates into an intake of nicotine equivalent to
more than one pack of cigarettes per session for most waterpipe smokers. However, it is known that waterpipe smoking
produces more smoke than cigarette smoking, and it has been estimated that
smoke exposure could be as much as 100–200 cigarettes per session. Therefore
the types and magnitudes of health hazards of waterpipe smoking are likely to
be different from those of cigarette smoking, and there is a need to
standardize exposure measurements for the proper assessment of health hazards
related to this particular kind of tobacco exposure.
In addition, the
temperature of burning tobacco in waterpipes is much lower than that in
cigarettes, and the force needed to pull air through the high resistance of the
water pathway permits the smoke to be inhaled very deeply into the lungs.
Therefore the sites and patterns of cell injury in the oral and respiratory
tracts are likely to be different from those due to cigarette smoking. This area
requires further toxicological and pathological investigation and needs
expanded research support. Indeed, the entire field of the health effects of
waterpipe smoking is ripe for new and comprehensive research, including
interdisciplinary approaches.
There is little
research on waterpipe smoking and health; for example, waterpipe smoking is a
known source of heavy metal exposure to consumers, and evidence suggests that
waterpipes concentrate these metals in the water chamber of the device. Biological
markers of tobacco harm, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, have been scarcely studied
in waterpipe users, and many questions remain to be explored in detail.
While many hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than
smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking carries many of the same health risks as
cigarettes.
- Water pipe smoking delivers the
addictive drug nicotine and is at least as toxic as cigarette smoke.
- Due to the mode of smoking—including
frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking
session—hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins
found in cigarette smoke.
- A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking
session involves inhaling 100–200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a
single cigarette.
- Hookah smokers are at risk for the same kinds of diseases as are caused by cigarette smoking, including oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the esophagus, reduced lung function, and decreased fertility.
Health Effects
Hookah Smoke and Cancer
- The charcoal used to heat tobacco in
the hookah increases the health risks by producing high levels of carbon
monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals.
- Even after it has passed through
water, the smoke produced by a hookah contains high levels of toxic
compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing
chemicals.
- Hookah tobacco and smoke contain
numerous toxic substances known to cause lung, bladder, and oral cancers.
- Irritation from exposure to tobacco
juices increases the risk of developing oral cancers. The irritation by
tobacco juice products is likely to be greater among hookah smokers than
among pipe or cigar smokers because hookah smoking is typically practiced
(with or without inhalation) more often and for longer periods of time.
Other Health Effects of
Hookah Smoke
- Hookah tobacco and smoke contain
numerous toxic substances known to cause clogged arteries and heart
disease.
- Infectious diseases may be
transmitted by sharing a hookah.
- Babies born to women who smoked one or more water pipes a day during pregnancy have lower birth weights (were at least 3½ ounces less) than babies born to nonsmokers and are at an increased risk for respiratory diseases.
Sources and Additional Information:
Hookahs are marketed as being a safe alternative to cigarettes.
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