Hookah Pipes and Water Pipe Smoking Injuries

Hookah is a traditional Middle Eastern water pipe. It originated many centuries ago in ancient Persia, Iran, and India.

While cigarette smoking kills an estimated 480,000 people annually, hookah pipes are also dangerous. Hookah pipes can be harmful to pipe smokers and people who inhale second-hand smoke.

Laws regulate the manufacture and sale of hookah and water pipes. However, it would help if you still were wary. It may be too late to reverse the damage when you realize you're sick.

Here, we'll discuss the dangers of hookah. We'll also explain what to do if you become sick after using hookah or water pipes.

What Is a Hookah or Water Pipe?

A hookah, or water pipe, is a tobacco delivery device from the Middle East and Asia. Hookah pipes are also known as narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, and goza. More than 100 million people worldwide smoke water pipes.

The tobacco in hookah pipes is usually flavored. Movie images from "Star Wars" and "The Matrix Reloaded" make waterpipe tobacco smoking look stylish and harmless. However, researchers say they may be just as dangerous as cigarettes.

Today, many young adults engage in hookah smoking. They have no idea of the health risks these pipes pose. The government regulates hookah bars and sales of hookah tobacco to protect public health.

Types of Injuries and Cancers Caused by Hookah and Water Pipes

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S. Many argue that hookah doesn't qualify as a tobacco product. However, they still pose adverse health effects.

The harmful effects of hookah include the following:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Rapid heart rate
• Lung disease and compromised lung function

These adverse health outcomes exist for smokers and non-smokers. People who encounter hookah smoke exposure are at risk even though they aren't waterpipe users.

According to experts, smoking hookah can also lead to the following adverse health consequences:

• Lower fertility
• Birth issues
• Pregnancy problems
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Loss of bone density
• Oral cancer
• Throat cancer
• Cancer of the esophagus

The CDC has done a systematic review of articles published in various journals, such as JAMA. The CDC confirms these health risks.

What Makes Water Pipes Dangerous?

Waterpipe use involves similar risk factors as traditional smoking. Hookah smoke contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are dangerous carcinogens. The effects of waterpipe smoking affect smokers and people in areas where hookah use is widespread.

The toxicants in hookah smoke enter your bloodstream when you inhale through your pipe. The mouthpiece you use with the hookah pipe increases the toxins entering your body. It's no different from using an e-cigarette or vape pen.

The dangerous chemicals in hookah smoke cause damage to your lungs and cardiovascular system. Over time, this can lead to various types of heart disease and cancer.

Is Hookah Smoke Safer Than Cigarette Smoke?

Many adolescents, high school students, and college students smoke hookah pipes, perhaps assuming this is much safer than other types of smoking. Its prevalence among these groups can't be underestimated, though. Hookah pipes can be just as harmful as other tobacco products.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Smoking a water pipe delivers the addictive drug nicotine.
• Hookah smoke is as toxic as cigarette smoke.
• Due to the frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking sessions, hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.
• A typical one-hour-long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.
• Hookah smokers are at risk for the same kinds of cancers and other diseases as cigarette smokers.

The communal nature of smoking water pipes and hookahs can also transmit infectious communicable diseases and viruses like tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis.

Compared to typical cigarette smokers, Dr. Christopher Loffredo, the Director of Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology at Georgetown University, asserts that "compared to the typical cigarette smoker, waterpipe smokers encounter larger total amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and certain other toxins."

According to research, more high school students are using hookah, which means people are developing these health issues at an early age.

Additionally, because water pipe smokers inhale greater amounts of tobacco smoke in their lungs compared to cigarettes, Loffredo contends that damage from smoking hookahs and water pipes "could be even worse than seen in cigarette smokers, but we haven't done studies long enough to quantify the true cancer risk."

What Chemicals Are in Hookah Smoke?

Most people smoke hookah with fruity flavors. The problem is that even fruit-flavored hookah smoke contains the same toxins as cigarettes.

Some of these include:

• Carbon monoxide
• Nicotine
• Tar
• Heavy metals like lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, and chromium
• Volatile aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde, the chemical preservative used by morticians to embalm dead bodies )

Medical Treatment for Injuries Caused by Hookah

The financial costs of treating tobacco-related injuries from hookah pipes are high. Ongoing healthcare costs for treating these injuries are staggering. Many tobacco-related illnesses, like lung cancer, are fatal.

The costs of treatment, medication, and chronic care pose an enormous financial burden for water pipe smokers and their families. This, along with the injuries themselves, causes mental trauma as well.

Is It Worth Calling a Product Liability Lawyer?

If you or a loved one have a smoking-related injury from water pipes and hookah, you should call a lawyer. Your personal injury attorney can demand compensation on your behalf.

Some of the factors your attorney will review include:

• Whether you and your loved ones deserve compensation for current and future medical expenses
• If you and your loved ones can recover lost wages and other out-of-pocket expenses
• Whether water pipe smoking and hookah injuries entitle you to damages for pain and suffering

You can also discuss your legal options with an experienced product liability attorney. Visit FindLaw's attorney directory to find one near you.