Sunday, October 27, 2013

Waterpipe tobacco smoking: it is so dangerous as smoking or no?

Many medical students and young people are asking me about effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking or narghila. it is so dangerous as smoking or no?
Waterpipe tobacco smoking is a centuries-old tobacco use method with an ambiguous origin and links to the countries of southwest Asia and north Africa. Although known by many different names (eg, hookah, narghile, shisha), the term waterpipe has been used for the last 2 decades in the English language scientific literature to refer to any of a variety of instruments that involve passing tobacco smoke through water before inhalation. Contrary to popular belief that waterpipe tobacco smoking is less lethal than cigarette smoking, emerging research indicates that both involve comparable health risks including nicotine/tobacco dependence.
One more argument was published last days in Chest journal: Laboratory and Clinical Acute Effects of Active and Passive Indoor group Water-Pipe (Narghile) Smoking.
One session of indoor group active waterpipe smoking resulted in significant increases in COHb and serum nicotine levels (8- and 18-fold, respectively), and was associated with adverse cardio-respiratory health effects. The minor effects found in passive smokers suggest that they too may be affected adversely by exposure to waterpipe smoking.
We are for Global ban of Waterpipe tobacco smoking!!!

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