Social, But Not Safer

Another example of traditional tobacco use turned mainstream

Originally a religious practice in Asia and the Middle East, hookah smoking has become a popular social activity for U.S. youth and adults.1

Here are the hookah basics:

  • Hookahs, also known as narghile or hubble-bubble, come in various sizes and styles, typically comprising a head, metal body, water bowl, and a flexible hose with a mouthpiece.
  • The tobacco mixture, called shisha, is heated using charcoal, and the flavored smoke is inhaled through the hose, often shared in groups. 
  • Modern versions like steam stones and battery-powered hookah pens produce inhalable vapor.

What You Need to Know

Multiple elements of hookah are dangerous to your health

  • Hookah smoke contains high levels of toxins, including carbon monoxide, tar and heavy metals.1
  • The charcoal used to heat shisha produces carbon monoxide and other toxins.1
  • Hookahs put out harmful secondhand smoke from both the tobacco and the charcoal.2

Hookah smoking brings many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking — and can spread infection among users1

  • Several types of cancer, including lung cancer, have been linked to hookah smoking.2
  • Hookah use has also been linked to coronary artery disease, an increased heart rate, high blood pressure, lung damage, carbon monoxide intoxication, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, dental problems and osteoporosis.2
  • Infections and illnesses may be passed between smokers who share a hookah mouthpiece.1

Hookah smokers may be exposed to even more nicotine than cigarette smokers1

  • Because hookah smoking sessions are longer and tobacco concentrations are high, hookah users may consume larger amounts of nicotine than cigarette smokers.1
  • In fact, a typical one-hour hookah session is equivalent to inhaling the smoke of up to 100 single cigarettes.1

Quiz: Clearing up Hookah Myths

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