Is hookah smoke harmful? Is smoking hookah harmful or not?

Hookah is one of the oldest methods of smoking. It was invented in India, and its modern look acquired already in Turkey in the 17th-19th centuries.

Smoking cigarettes, vaping, hookah - all this is the same thing: inhaling smoke and nicotine. The only question is which listed list more harmful. The debate about whether hookah is harmful continues to this day.

How does hookah smoking happen?

Today, hookah smoking service can be found in many cafes and restaurants.

A hookah is an exotic device for smoking a tobacco mixture. The role of a filter in it is performed by a flask with some liquid, but more often with water.

To smoke a hookah, special smoking mixtures with aromatic additives are placed in the bowl, which are covered with hot coals on top.

The smoker draws smoke through the pipe. Thus, the smoke from the bowl with the smoking mixture rises into the flask, and through the pipe into the lungs of the smoker.

Thanks to such a long path, the smoke is cooled more, and along the way it is moistened. All this creates a feeling of safer process for a person.

Is hookah harmful to health?

Let's look at what harm a hookah can cause to the body and what its main disadvantages are.

Development of addiction

Addiction to hookah smoking is impossible - this is the argument that hookah lovers rely on, emphasizing that it is more harmless compared to cigarettes.

However, this statement applies more to those people who like to breathe hookah on weekends, for example, or even a couple of times a month.

However, regular hookah smoking causes the same addiction that cigarette smokers have to fight. And this addiction is based on nicotine. Of course, we do not take mixtures without nicotine for review.

How many cigarettes are in a hookah?

Almost 8 pieces – During one smoking session, a hookah smoker's lungs are exposed to the effects of 8 cigarettes.

Here's how this calculation was arrived at:

• One pack of hookah tobacco weighing 50 g is saturated with nicotine up to 0.05%, which is approximately 25 mg.
• It is designed for an average of 4 servings.
• This means that one smoking is 6.25 mg of nicotine, while one cigarette contains 0.5-0.8 mg.
• That is, one portion of hookah tobacco contains 7 and a half times more nicotine than a cigarette.

The neurotoxic effects of nicotine are almost instantly addictive.

Unlike a cigarette, the first experience of smoking a hookah may seem pleasant and attractive, which encourages hookah lovers to use this method of relaxation more and more often.

About the dangers of deep tightening

A big problem hookah is that when you inhale strongly, the resins settle not on the bronchi and on the upper part of the lungs, but on the much more sensitive middle and lower parts of the lungs, which increases the risk of developing lung cancer several times.

From one smoking, a hookah smoker receives as much harm as a heavy smoker who smokes more than a pack of cigarettes daily.

Imperfect filtering

Hookah advocates often claim that the liquid filtration system cleans the smoke very well. However, no water filter can cope with the amount of harmful substances contained in hookah smoke.

If while smoking regular cigarettes the lungs take up to 400 ml of smoke, then when using a hookah mixture, the amount of smoke increases to 2 liters.

The liquid filter on water retains up to 90% of phenols, acrolein, acetaldehyde, 50% of solid particles and part of polycyclicenes and benzopyrene. The amount of nicotine decreases slightly as it passes through the filter. However, chromium, arsenic and lead continue to seriously poison the body.

Sometimes you can hear another incorrect statement that a milk filter is more effective. This is wrong. Milk also cannot filter out all toxins, so it only affects taste qualities smoke.

Composition of hookah tobacco

Let's look at what tobacco is included in the composition smoking mixtures.

Often, hookah tobacco is made in a handicraft manner and is not subject to any examination or control.

A smoker, filling his device with such tobacco, often does not know what its composition is, where the raw materials were grown, how they were processed, or how they were stored.

And tobacco is not as terrible as smoldering coals.

Carbon monoxide formation

To obtain hookah smoke, the coals are heated to a temperature of 600 degrees. It is under these conditions that benzopyrene begins to form, which has a mutagenic effect - causing DNA mutations.

Hazardous Exposure benzopyrene is aggravated by the formation carbon monoxide, the harmfulness of which is beyond doubt. Oxygen starvation is caused by the binding of hemoglobin molecules.

As a result of hypoxia internal organs stop receiving oxygen. The brain, trying to solve this problem, constricts the blood vessels, and the heart begins to contract harder, trying to pump more blood to supply organs with oxygen.

However, instead of oxygen, the smoker continues to saturate the body with carbon monoxide mixed with harmful impurities.

Passive smoking

Hookah is smoked in indoors, therefore, the organisms of non-smoking people sitting next to each other also have a toxic effect of fumes.

People near the smoker inhale not only the smoke released from the mouthpiece, but also the fumes emanating from hot coals and moist tobacco.

The harmful effect of hookah smoking on passive smokers is obvious. People start complaining about headache, weakness, nausea, even just after sitting in a smoky room for half an hour.

Definitely harmful to the health of passive smokers:

• Nicotine.
• Benzopyrene.
• Carbon monoxide.
• Salts of heavy metals.

Hygiene

When smoking a hookah, hygiene rules are constantly violated: the mouthpiece passes through many people.

Not everyone agrees to constantly change disposable attachments: some people think that this slows down the process of getting pleasure, others just think that they are showing disrespect for their friends.

This increases the risk of transmitting common viruses such as herpes and diseases such as sore throat. In this regard, cigarettes are much more hygienic.

Why is hookah harmful?

Smoking hookah and cigarettes are equally harmful to the body, doctors say.

Let's take a closer look at what happens if you smoke a hookah and what effect it has on the human body.

Harm to the cardiovascular system

Increased concentration of nicotine in the heart muscle tissue leads to their gradual degeneration, which is the root cause of the development of myocardial infarction.

Inhalation of hookah smoke leads to:

• Decreased amount of oxygen in the blood.
• Development of atherosclerosis.
• Blood thickening.
• Formation of blood clots.
• Poor blood circulation.

All of the above reasons may indirectly cause premature death.

Thickening of the blood can cause blood clots to form. Breakaway blood clot enters the bloodstream and begins its movement throughout the body. Sooner or later, it clogs the vessel, blocking blood access to it. As a result, a stroke occurs in the organ that was affected oxygen starvation.

Fatal consequences are most common when the blood clot enters the head or heart.

Effects on the lungs

Hookah smoke fills the lungs, settling on them in the form of resins, which cause damage to the alveolar sacs.

Connective tissue The lungs lose their elasticity, which increases the risk of bronchiectasis - chronic dilatation of the bronchi. This disease threatens shortness of breath, frequent exacerbations of cough and secondary complications - cardiopulmonary failure, abscess, pulmonary hemorrhage.

Destruction of the lung epithelium leads to the development of frequent pharyngitis and chronic bronchitis, followed by more serious pathologies like oncological diseases.

Effect on the central nervous system

Half an hour after you start smoking hookah, the blood vessels narrow sharply. Exposure to nicotine reduces the oxygen saturation of the blood, leading to hypoxia. At this stage, both the brain and the nervous system suffer.

Irritability, fatigue, poor appetite and sleep disorders - all this characteristic symptoms an avid hookah smoker.

Diseases may also develop:

• Neuritis.
• Radiculitis.
• Polyneuritis.
• Plexit.

Tobacco smoke can cause multiple sclerosis, That is extreme damage to the nervous system.

Hookah harm to eyesight

Oddly enough, the impact of smoke on the eyes from a hookah is even greater than from a cigarette.

Hookahs are harmful to vision because their smoke causes:

1. Conjunctivitis - smoke is an allergen and irritates the mucous membrane of the eyes, which causes redness, tearing and burning.
2. Blockage of blood vessels - Smoking a hookah contributes to a sharp contraction of blood vessels, which disrupts the blood supply to the retina and choroid eyes, which can cause damage optic nerve.
3. Tobacco amblyopia- that is, damage to the central part of the retina. Due to dystrophy, parts of the retina are lost central vision.
4. Cataract- clouding of the eye lens. Cloudiness of the lens caused by smoke exposure can cause vision loss.
5. Uveitis- inflammation of the choroid of the eye. Symptoms of the pathology are photophobia, lacrimation, loss of vision. Develops due to smoke inhalation.

According to statistics, every tenth hookah smoker runs the risk of losing his sight completely.

Harm of hookah to men's health

According to statistics, men smoke hookah much more often than women.

For men's health Daily and prolonged exposure to hookah smoke is even more dangerous than for women:

1. The elasticity of blood vessels deteriorates, causing blood to stop flowing to the male genital organ.
2. Lymphatic fluid ceases to saturate the cavernous bodies, which has a bad influence for potency.
3. After some time, sexual dysfunction occurs. Already by 30-35, hookah lovers who smoke mixtures 3-4 times a week risk becoming impotent.
4. Sperm activity decreases, which can lead to problems with conception.

Advantages of hookah without nicotine

Smoking a hookah has positive sides.

The originality of the process, the beauty of the ritual, pleasant aroma is what attracts many people to enjoy smoking periodically.

Even in the process of hookah smoking, there is no burning of paper, which is a factor in the formation of many toxic substances.

As for water filtration, it is practically helpless in cleaning smoke from nicotine and benzopyrene, but it cleans it very well of toxic substances. chemical substances- acrolein and acetaldehyde.

In addition, there is always the opportunity for a smoker to switch to nicotine-free mixtures, the effect of which on humans is much less harmful.

There are 3 types of nicotine-free tobacco:

• Volcanic minerals soaked in a special syrup.
• Cream applied to the walls of the tobacco bowl.
• Natural mixtures, which use dried herbs and roots instead of tobacco, mixed with flavorings and glycerin.

On the one hand, this option is more harmless. The main thing is to choose natural smoking mixtures from a reliable, trusted manufacturer.

On the other hand, any chemical flavoring in the mixture becomes carcinogenic when heated.

The dangers of hookah compared to cigarettes

Having considered all the pros and cons of hookah smoking, and assessing why it is useful and why it is dangerous, you can understand how hookah smoking affects human health.

And if we compare it with cigarettes, we can note the following:

• In cigarettes, smoke passes only through a filter, but in a hookah - through a shaft, on the walls of which enough harmful substances are deposited and through a water filter. Thus, the composition of the smoke improves and causes less damage to the body.
• Cigarettes contain paper, which when burned is also a source of many toxins.

Precautionary measures

If you like to smoke hookah for a long time, take at least basic precautions:

• Buy tobacco only in packaging containing information about the manufacturer and composition.
• Do not smoke for more than one hour.
• Do not use as a filter alcoholic drinks, their vapors can combine with toxins in the smoke.
• Don't take deep drags.
• Remember to remove excess carbon monoxide through the valve every 15 minutes.
• Use disposable mouthpieces.
• Rinse the device thoroughly after each use.
• It is definitely dangerous for pregnant women and children to smoke and breathe hookah.

By following these rules, you can reduce the harmfulness of hookah to the body and smoke it truly for pleasure and relaxation, and not to the detriment of your health.

One of the most important issues, which interests many hookah lovers and those simply curious - is hookah harmful?

You can find a lot of speculation on this issue on the Internet. Hookah opponents are extremely negative, claiming that an hour of hookah smoking corresponds to 60 cigarettes smoked in a row. The number of cigarettes can vary from 5 to 100 (try to smoke at least 5 in a row and share unforgettable impressions with doctors in intensive care). In addition, it is claimed that hookah is addictive, and many parents believe that this unit is used exclusively for smoking drugs. Some supporters, in turn, believe that the design of the hookah allows the smoke to be completely cleared of nicotine and therefore it can be smoked every day from morning to night and it will not harm your health.

To date, many studies have been conducted on this issue, including World Organization Health, whose credibility has been greatly undermined, since it has been repeatedly accused of “commissioned” research. However, there are also independent studies, the earliest of which were carried out back in the 60s of the twentieth century, which allow us to look at the problem from a different perspective.

However, the work carried out does not allow us to give a clear answer about how hookah smoking affects health. The difficulty is that there are too many factors influencing the purity of the study. Firstly, long-term studies of active hookah smokers are needed, and secondly, there are a number of side factors that can affect the results, such as cigarette smoking (in addition to hookah smoking), lifestyle, work, typical smoking environment, frequency of fluid changes in flask, tobacco used, coal, food, availability chronic diseases etc. Thus, it is clear to say that smoking a hookah causes certain side effects it is forbidden.

However, research still allows us to answer some questions.

Is hookah harmful?

Yes. Like any smoking, hookah smoking has some health risks due to the presence of nicotine and tar in tobacco. However, the degree of harm, due to many factors, is much lower than from smoking cigarettes.

What does water filter?

According to research, water filters out 70% to 90% of nicotine and no more than 50% of tar. In addition, researchers agree that about 10% of harmful substances settle on the walls of the shaft and in the tube. Thus, the smoke inhaled by a smoker is by no means harmless, although it consists of 80% water vapor. Other liquids used in the flask - milk, alcohol, etc. - provide stronger filtration, but there have been no detailed studies on this issue.

How much nicotine does a hookah smoker get?

It is not known for certain. Research on this issue took place by simulating the smoking process on special apparatus. At the same time, the “smoking” parameters are strongly criticized by many researchers as inconsistent with the real ones obtained as a result of observing smokers in cafes. Thus, “smoking” on the device occurred continuously, without changing coal and tobacco for an hour by one smoker, in contrast to the average 45 minutes and 2-3 smokers; "puffs" occurred every 17 seconds, as opposed to an average of 30 seconds. Moreover, the value of 17 seconds was obtained by analyzing only the first 30 minutes of smoking, while after half an hour of smoking the intensity of puffs decreases significantly. In addition, in the process of simulating smoking on the device, quickly flammable coal was used, which itself contains many harmful substances. Moreover, it did not move on the cup, creating uneven smoldering of the tobacco. In connection with the above, one cannot rely on such studies, since they are not entirely correct.

A fifty-gram pack of Al Fakher tobacco contains 0.05% nicotine, i.e. 0.025 g or 25 mg. The average tobacco refill is 10 g, which corresponds to 2.5 mg of nicotine. If 80% of the nicotine was filtered on the way from the cup to the smoker, we get about 0.5 mg of nicotine, provided that it was all smoked by one person and the tobacco burned completely, which is rare. The same amount of nicotine is contained in one “light” cigarette.

Are there harmful tars in tobacco smoke?

Yes. Despite the fact that some tobacco packs (for example, Al Fakher) can be seen with the inscription 0% tar (tar), in fact this is a rounded value. According to data contained in some studies, the proportion of tars rarely exceeds 0.2%, in addition, the amount of harmful tars obtained will vary greatly depending on the smoking style. Thus, in a 10 gram tobacco refill there will be about 20 mg of resins, of which no more than 10 mg will remain after filtration. Which also corresponds to one “light” cigarette.

Is it harmful? passive smoking hookah?

Yes. Although there are several factors in favor of hookah. Firstly, practically no smoke comes from the hookah itself, unlike a smoking cigarette, which produces the lion's share of the harm from passive smoking. Secondly, the combustion temperature of tobacco in a hookah rarely reaches even 200 degrees Celsius, in contrast to 900 degrees in a cigarette. In this regard, hookah smoke consists of about 142 elements, while cigarette smoke consists of more than 4700. Thirdly, hookah smoke dissolves much faster in the air. However, studies have shown that passive smokers absorbed between 11% and 59% of the harmful substances from second-hand hookah smoke. At the same time, when smoking a hookah on the street, the harm from passive smoking is minimal, in ventilated rooms, such as a cafe, it ranges from low to medium, depending on the establishment, and smoking in a closed room causes maximum harm to others.

Is the concentration of carbon monoxide in hookah smoke dangerous?

No. The concentration of carbon monoxide in hookah smoke is 13 times less than in cigarette smoke, and is generally insignificant (although there are studies stating the opposite, but the conditions for conducting these studies are extremely questionable and poorly consistent real conditions smoking hookah). The gas concentration is also greatly influenced by the coal used. However, it is not advisable to smoke hookah in a room with poor ventilation where cigarettes are smoked. You might even faint.

Are there harmful metals in hookah smoke?

No. By- at least All research on this topic rather proves the opposite.

Is hookah smoking addictive?

No. People, smoking cigarettes, smoke 5 or more cigarettes a day, while even the most desperate hookah smokers smoke it less often than daily, so nicotine addiction doubtful. However, it is possible to identify a social dependence on hookah, which can be compared to a dependence on coffee, which is often drunk not because of the caffeine (for example, in the evening), but because of the opportunity to socialize over a cup of coffee.

So, is hookah harmful? Yes, it's harmful. An hour of hookah smoking by one person is approximately equal to smoking one cigarette. However, usually, hookah smoking occurs in a group, so the harm is even less. How dangerous this is for your health, everyone can decide for themselves. At the same time, to minimize harm, firstly, you need to stop using chemical quick-lighting coal, secondly, make sure that the tobacco does not burn out and change it in time if necessary, and thirdly, do not smoke too often (not more than 1-2 times a week). In addition, we must remember the dangers of passive smoking and do not smoke in the presence of children and pregnant women.

Hookahs and hookah tobacco in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Alibaba hookah store chain

Smoking hookah became fashionable a few years ago.

For some nationalities, this is a familiar and integral daily ritual that helps to relax, calm down, and relieve tension. In our country, the fashion for hookah has existed not so long ago.

In this regard, at first they began to open special hookah bars and cafes. Now you can smoke hookah in almost every normal establishment or even order it to your home.

You can buy the device for your home so that you can periodically indulge in the aromas and inhalation of delicious tobacco refills. With the advent of hookahs, the question of their harm and even benefits was often raised.

Many claimed that it had virtually no effect on health, attributing this species Smoking devices have many unjustified qualities. Therefore, today we will dispel all the myths about the benefits of hookah and finally answer the question about its harm to human health.

Hookah, like a cigarette, is smoking. Smoking means inhaling nicotine, smoke, and with them various negative substances that are found in tobacco. Therefore, the answer here is obvious: hookah is undoubtedly harmful to health.

Unlike a cigarette, it has its own characteristics that slightly reduce the level of this harmfulness, but certainly do not deny it.

The hookah is refilled with tobacco. It is the same as in cigarettes. The only difference is that it must be moist during smoking and is often impregnated with aromatic additives that have different tastes.

The difference between smoking cigarettes and hookah is that the cigarette burns out when sufficiently high temperatures, and the hookah does not so much burn as slowly smolder. As a result, in one case, nicotine is inhaled directly, and in the second, smoke with all its constituent components is inhaled.

If you look at the composition, then in terms of the number of negative substances containing hookah smoke, it is in second place. This fact does not mean less harm, since the volumes inhaled by the lungs are significantly different.

When smoking a cigarette, we consume about 400 ml; in the case of hookah smoking, this figure is 1.5 liters.

Standing up for the harmlessness of hookah, some may claim its special feature - a water filter. He is supposedly able to filter everything harmful substances. In fact, this is just a myth. Yes, the filter removes some bad components or a small percentage of them, but does not completely destroy them.

It is also worth remembering about passive smokers who may be nearby. The harm to their health in both the case of cigarette and hookah smoke is the same and, undoubtedly, negative.

Milk hookah is no different from water hookah. It is only softer, and therefore easier to smoke - it is not so bitter. There is an opinion that hookah with milk is not harmful, and even beneficial. This is another myth.

Neither water nor milk can filter negative composition tobacco that enters the human body. All that distinguishes a hookah with milk is its taste and nothing more.

We should talk about what exactly its harm is and which organs are affected first. The human heart receives a double negative from a hookah - immediate and distant. Directly while smoking, the main human organ receives a dose of nicotine.

This cannot immediately produce any consequences. Over time, when excess negative substances accumulate, the heart simply fails.

Angina pectoris, deterioration of vascular tone, cardiac ischemia - this is not the entire list of problems that an experienced hookah smoker faces.

When smoking a hookah, the lungs and the entire respiratory system become contaminated, like the filter pipe of the device itself. Since the process of smoking one portion takes enough time (about an hour on average), all the dark dirt and harmful components settle on the lungs and respiratory tract.

They clog our respiratory system and accelerate the aging process and also the wear and tear of organs. As a result, the level of performance of the body decreases, mental activity, headaches become frequent.

In addition, regular hookah smoking most often ends inflammatory processes in the lungs, Chronical bronchitis secured.

Hookah is also harmful to the eyes. First of all, this is direct and prolonged contact with smoke, which damages the mucous membranes. As a result, the eyes may become itchy and red. Another factor is also the accumulation of negative substances in the body, which subsequently affects all organs.

Smoking hookah can be addictive. This has a bad effect on nervous system, because the body gets used to the ritual of smoking. If for a long time If you don’t smoke, the person becomes irritable, hot-tempered, and nervous.

The hookah is strictly not intended for children and pregnant women. It is unacceptable to expose the health of children and fetuses to the danger that lies in the smoke and fumes of a hookah.

In addition to the effect on organs and systems, hookah carries another, but significant, danger. With its help you can catch some kind of infection.

The fact is that most often hookah is smoked in a group and not a small one. However, not all participants in the process may be healthy.

For example, after such social smoking, you can find out that you have herpes, sore throat, diphtheria, hepatitis, tuberculosis and the like infectious diseases, which are transmitted from one person to another during the use of the “peace pipe”.

Therefore, be sure to use disposable mouthpieces in large groups to avoid unpleasant consequences and health problems. Also try not to smoke in the company of strangers.

The fact that hookah smoking is harmful remains undeniable. After all this is just one type of inhalation harmful smoke and nicotine. Fruit flavorings, water or milk do not reduce the percentage of this effect. Therefore, try not to get carried away.

Naturally, you can relax and indulge, but you shouldn’t make it a habit. Don’t indulge yourself with fictitious myths, because hookah is just as harmful as a cigarette.

It so happened that in our country everything imported is welcomed, from clothes and shoes to drugs and hookahs. Why is hookah on the same line as drugs? After all, it is practically harmless. So, at least, many fans of this eastern device think. However, it has been a topic of controversy for many years. Hookah is an oriental smoke pipe, with the help of which the inhabitants of Egypt have been relaxing since ancient times. Behind last years Hookah smoking has become fashionable in America and throughout Europe. There are special bars that offer their visitors to relax and smoke oriental hookah. Almost all nightlife establishments offer hookah on their menu. Among young people, hookah is popularized as safe way relax for relatively little money. Is it really? Is hookah really a safe oriental gift that does not harm the human body? And here one should object to this opinion. People who smoke hookah with passion can convince themselves as much as they want that it is safe for health. In fact, this is far from the case. We will back up the “flattering” words about hookah with facts that increasingly prove the enormous harm of hookah on the human body.

You should know that any smoke generated under the influence of slow smoldering contains substances that negatively affect the human body. Nicotine, tar, and formaldehyde cause irreparable damage to our health. Tobacco of any kind and its smoke (including tobacco used for hookah smoking) causes negative mutations in the body at the genetic level. Of course, genetics have not been fully studied, but it is quite possible to transmit the disease to your descendants. By smoking a hookah, you harm not only yourself, but also your future grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Many people believe that hookah is a harmless alternative to smoking regular cigarettes. This is the deepest misconception. The fact is that the harm of hookah is actually much greater than negative impact cigarettes. Recently, studies were conducted which showed that hookah smokers inhale the amount tobacco smoke equal to 100-200 cigarettes smoked. Many people believe that the water through which the smoke passes saves them from such a fate. The smoke temperature in a hookah is about 400 degrees. Even after passing through water, combustion products will not cool down to a safe temperature for the human body. Plus, many components of tobacco smoke by their nature cannot dissolve in water. Thus, they all go straight to the lungs of the person who smokes the hookah. A cigarette, unlike a hookah, can be thrown away if you need to run somewhere, but the procedure for smoking an oriental gift takes a lot of time. Any type of nicotine causes chemical dependence in a person. In order to get enough nicotine, a hookah smoker needs to spend from 20 to 80 minutes of his time at the device. Imagine how much tar and carbon monoxide the body will receive. Statistics are accurate. So, when smoking one cigarette, the smoker takes an average of 10-13 puffs and inhales a volume of smoke equal to 0.5 liters. During a hookah smoking session, a person takes up to two hundred puffs, with each breath containing a volume of smoke of up to one liter. It follows that by smoking a hookah, you cause yourself harm equivalent to one hundred cigarettes smoked. And how can you then deny the harm of hookah? For the most ardent hookah fans, there are two ironclad facts: laryngeal cancer and lung cancer. Most smoking mixtures for hookahs are made using the artisanal method. However, no one tests them for the content of substances dangerous to human life. The main reason and the trachea from smoking a hookah is a large volume of smoke, which the smoker instantly draws into himself. At the same time they suffer nearby organs respiratory system. Here is a completely harmless hookah for you. Even in the homeland of this device, doctors say that hookah is the main reason why tuberculosis spreads.

As you can see, the harm of hookah smoking is obvious. Only a man blindly chasing fashion trends, can continue to smoke hookah and not think about the consequences. Everyone has their own opinion, but you need to remember that hookah is proven to be harmful and has dire consequences for the health of the body.

Today, many are convinced that hookah is a safe replacement for traditional cigarettes and that it does not harm human health.

Hookah fans explain this by the fact that natural hookah tobacco does not contain additives that are dangerous to the body and the smoke entering the lungs is completely cleared of harmful impurities liquid in the flask. Adherents of hookah need not worry, because smoking hookah harms the health of the smoker only if consumed too often and in large quantities.

Flavors added to the tobacco mixture give a lot of pleasant sensations, which contributes to longer savoring and prolongation of smoking time. This increases the amount of nicotine entering the body. This is why hookah is more harmful than regular ones tobacco products only with excessive consumption. And moderate hookah smoking will give you and your friends great mood and will be a great addition to any party.

Still, it is impossible to answer the questions with complete confidence: is it harmful to smoke tobacco mixtures tucked into a hookah, and is the smoke inhaled harmful? To dispel all doubts, let’s try to figure out how harmful hookah is for humans.

What are the dangers of smoking hookah?

Scientists have long proven that smoking a hookah for one hour contributes to the body consuming harmful smoke hundreds of times more than from just one strong cigarette. Why is hookah harmful to human health?

The dangers of secondhand smoke

We all know how dangerous it is to be in close proximity to a smoker. Smoking a hookah is no exception and negatively affects the health of not only those who smoke, but also those who sit next to them.

A non-smoker or former smoker who sits in a room where a hookah is smoked unwittingly inhales nicotine vapor, nitrogen and carbon monoxide with the air.

This means that passive hookah smoking has an impact on the human body harmful influence.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Hookah tobacco contains fewer harmful substances than tobacco from regular cigarettes. However, when smoking a hookah, the human body receives large amounts of carbon monoxide, which can cause poisoning.

Smoking a hookah for one minute can be compared to smoking a whole pack. strong cigarettes. Carbon monoxide poisons not only the upper Airways, but also the lower ones.

Harmful exchange of saliva

Hookah poses a threat dangerous item from a hygiene point of view. To a greater extent, this applies to smoking a hookah in a large company.

As a rule, if a lot of people gather, everyone takes turns smoking. It wouldn't be so scary if all people were absolutely healthy.

It may be that among smokers there is at least one sick person. In this case, the harm from hookah smoking is obvious.

Nicotine addiction

As a rule, hookah smoking takes place in a warm, friendly atmosphere and is accompanied by casual conversation.

The aroma emanating from the hookah promotes relaxation. But you should remember that every puff brings you closer to nicotine addiction.

The effect of hookah on the human body

Many smokers from time to time wonder: is hookah harmful or not?

You can immediately say that the smoker’s health is harmed significant harm from a hookah.

Smoking a hookah has a negative impact on the functioning of many organs and systems of the human body. But, of course, this only happens when hookah is abused.

Anyone can determine whether hookah smoking is harmful to health, based on their own feelings.

Let's look at how people react to hookah smoking. human body and why hookah is harmful.

The impact of hookah on the functioning of the cardiovascular system

Smoking a hookah instantly affects cardiac activity. Over time, an experienced smoker will be increasingly at risk of developing diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the tone of which gradually weakens. There are more and more chances to earn money ischemic disease. Initial symptoms, warning the smoker about harmful action hookah, you can consider the appearance of shortness of breath and slight tingling in the heart.

The effect of hookah on lung function

Unfortunately, the effect of hookah on a person’s lungs is devastating. As studies have shown, smoke filtration in the mine does not occur to its full extent. Most of the smoke retains all the harmful substances that subsequently enter the lungs. Whether this is harmful or not is not at all difficult to guess.

The amount of toxins that enters the lungs is quite enough to disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system. Smoke, no matter how fragrant it may be, once it enters the lungs, causes tissue irritation, which contributes to the development of chronic form bronchitis.

Effects of hookah smoke on the eyes

Often, hookah lovers encounter the following troubles: pain in the eyes, increased tearing and constantly itchy eyes. This primarily indicates the dangers of hookah.

Hookah smoke can instantly affect the mucous membrane of the eye, which will lead to unpleasant sensations in the eye area. It should be remembered that inflammation eye shell very difficult to treat.

The effect of hookah on the functioning of the central nervous system

Perhaps the main point that negatively affects the activity of the central nervous system is the emergence of dependence on hookah and aromatic smoking mixtures.

Very often, hookah has bad consequences in the form of a significant decrease in the mental abilities and physical activity of the smoker. Besides high content carbon dioxide– this is harmful to the person as a whole and to the activity of the central nervous system.

Harm caused to pregnant women by smoking hookah

But before lighting a hookah, every pregnant girl should think about whether it is possible to smoke a hookah in such a delicate position and whether the hookah is harmful to the health of the unborn baby.

Let's ask ourselves: is hookah dangerous for intrauterine development baby? There is no doubt about it! Dangerous!

The baby already in the womb receives large doses of carbon monoxide, which will have a negative impact on its development. Why put the health and life of the unborn child at risk?

Each future mom I should prohibit myself from smoking hookah at least for the period of pregnancy and the subsequent period breastfeeding baby.

Drawing conclusions

And now we can draw a conclusion and evaluate the harm that hookah causes to the entire human body.

However, there is no clear answer to the question: is hookah harmful to health?

Hookah is both beneficial and harmful.

On the one hand, it helps to overcome dependence on regular tobacco smoking, and on the other hand, excessive hookah smoking can also have a detrimental effect on health.

This is why you should not smoke hookah too long or too often.