The summer medical school interns at Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center presented the following myths and facts about hookah, or water pipe, smoking to college students and community leaders this summer:
MYTH: Hookah is just flavored herbs and doesn’t contain tobacco.
FACT: Hookah is tobacco. Whether it’s called shisha, molasses or fruit herbs, the product used in hookah is still predominantly tobacco.
MYTH: The water in the hookah filters the smoke, making it more pure.
FACT: More than 95 percent of the harsh chemicals and toxins that are produced by hookah smoke are inhaled deep into the lungs by the user, regardless of the water.
MYTH: Hookah doesn’t contain enough nicotine to become addictive.
FACT: According to a 2009 article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, a single water-pipe use episode can increase blood nicotine levels well beyond those observed after a single cigarette.
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