If you think smoking hookah is a lot safer than cigarettes, think again. The Huffington Post reports that according to the World Health Organization, an hour-long hookah session is apparently just as the same as smoking 100 cigarettes.
Not just a pack, but that's five packs of cancer sticks. People should be aware of this considering recent survey conducted reporting many young people believe smoking a hookah or e-cigarettes is a safer alternative for cigarettes.
According to WHO, a person typically puffs 200 times in smoking a hookah for 60 minutes. Cigarette smokers, on the other hand, puff 8-12 times for each stick. Considering the amount of smoke inhaled, the organization states that smoking a hookah is just like smoking about 100 cigarettes.
Studying 2,871 smoking and non-smoking millennials, a research published in the journal Health, Education & Behavior shows about 25% of of those surveyed believe they would rather go safe with smoking hookah and e-cigarettes than smoking actual cigarettes.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reports that e-cigarettes are more popular than tobacco among 62% of young adults they have surveyed.
Although it hasn't been clear about the dangers of e-cigarettes, some experts believe that there must be unknown dangers for those who do it on a regular.
According to the authors of the study, Olivia A. Wackowski and Cristine D. Delnevo, "this might be associated with differences in advertising messages these groups are exposed to, the variety of flavors these different products are offered in, and in the case of e-cigarettes." The Rutgers School of Public Health fellows added this is "possibly an inclination for younger people to attribute more positive feelings toward newer products that are seen as new and 'techy.'"
Huffington Post added that smoking hookah and e-cigarettes can also be addictive just as cigarettes.
