Jungle Fever: Smoking Paraphernalia & Legal Highs

Many people prefer to smoke hookah tobaccos, believing that these do not contain toxic parts. However, the risks in hookah tobacco may be the same as those of cigarettes and other addictive substances. There are risks in smoking tobacco through a hookah pipe, which may be more hazardous to the smoker’s health.

Hookah tobacco smoking is considered to produce a smoother and more flavourful smoke. Shisha smoking is usually believed to have less damage to health than cigarettes. Research has shown that because tobacco is heated it produces fewer carcinogens in the smoke. Furthermore, there is less risk of addiction in hookah smoking. However, a published review in the medical journal, ‘Paediatrics’, states that the absorption of the addictive and cancer-causing substances in hookah pipes may be of an equal amount to that of cigarette smoking. The reason for this is that the high temperature involved is enough to produce carcinogenic nitrosamines, and the burning charcoal adds a quantity of carcinogenic hydrocarbons and heavy metals to the smoke.

The use of a hookah may increase the exposure of smokers to toxins. Studies have shown that the usual hookah smoker spends more time in smoking than other smokers, probably because the hookah smoke is less irritating.

One of the studies has cited that self-lighting charcoal may be a major hazard for hookah smokers because it generates more carbon monoxide and other dangerous substances than natural charcoal. For those individuals who cannot avoid smoking a hookah, they should discontinue using dangerous self-lighting charcoal. It is recommended to use natural charcoal in the traditional way of hookah smoking.