<p>They’re considered the perfect addition to any get-together – not only do they come in a medley of fun flavours, but can be shared by three or four people and last up to half an hour. And more importantly, many believe them to be a cleaner and safer alternative to smoking cigarettes! Which is definitely not true.<br /><br />The logic behind this is simple. Firstly, the tobacco in a hookah is heated, not burnt, suggesting it releases less cancer-causing chemicals. Also, since the smoke is passed through a bowl of water at the base of the instrument before inhaling, it’s considered to be clean and filtered. But just because a hookah looks better and tastes sweeter than a cigarette doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safer. Metrolife speaks to a few Bangaloreans to find out what they think of the matter. <br /><br />Manu Joseph, a business management student, admits that many of his friends enjoy smoking hookahs. “One of the main reasons is that it’s not as hard as smoking a cigarette. The smoke from a hookah is much smoother,” he explains. He adds that there is a common perception amongst them that hookahs aren’t that harmful. “Because of the water at the base of the hookah, many people feel it’s safe to smoke it. I don’t think people are aware that it’s actually dangerous,” says Manu.<br /><br />Aparajita, a law student, agrees with this view. Although she doesn’t smoke herself — and claims that she never will — many of her friends enjoy smoking the occasional hookah. “Some of my friends smoke them; they aren’t regular about it, but enjoy smoking one if they’re going out somewhere together. I don’t think they really know that it could be dangerous because if they knew it was harmful, they probably wouldn’t do it,” she reasons. <br /><br />The fact remains, however, that hookahs are just as unhealthy as cigarettes. For starters, a person smoking a hookah tends to inhale a larger volume of smoke, especially since they would be smoking continuously for about half-an hour and the water at the base does nothing to filter out the nicotine and carcinogens, which make hookahs both addictive and dangerous. Dr Dayananda G, a physician, believes it’s high time that youngsters in the City are disabused of the notion that hookahs are safe to smoke.<br /><br /> “People believe it’s not harmful, but this isn’t true. The ill-effects of smoking are still present,” he says, adding, “cigarette manufacturers insert a filter into each cigarette, but this isn’t there in a hookah. And since the temperature of the smoke varies, the hazards are the same as in the case of the smoking.”<br /><br />He also highlights another angle to the issue. “People who have access to certain illegal, intoxicating substances often add them to hookahs before smoking them, since it gives them a kick. In this sense, smoking hookah is actually a social danger as well,” he concludes.<br /></p>
<p>They’re considered the perfect addition to any get-together – not only do they come in a medley of fun flavours, but can be shared by three or four people and last up to half an hour. And more importantly, many believe them to be a cleaner and safer alternative to smoking cigarettes! Which is definitely not true.<br /><br />The logic behind this is simple. Firstly, the tobacco in a hookah is heated, not burnt, suggesting it releases less cancer-causing chemicals. Also, since the smoke is passed through a bowl of water at the base of the instrument before inhaling, it’s considered to be clean and filtered. But just because a hookah looks better and tastes sweeter than a cigarette doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safer. Metrolife speaks to a few Bangaloreans to find out what they think of the matter. <br /><br />Manu Joseph, a business management student, admits that many of his friends enjoy smoking hookahs. “One of the main reasons is that it’s not as hard as smoking a cigarette. The smoke from a hookah is much smoother,” he explains. He adds that there is a common perception amongst them that hookahs aren’t that harmful. “Because of the water at the base of the hookah, many people feel it’s safe to smoke it. I don’t think people are aware that it’s actually dangerous,” says Manu.<br /><br />Aparajita, a law student, agrees with this view. Although she doesn’t smoke herself — and claims that she never will — many of her friends enjoy smoking the occasional hookah. “Some of my friends smoke them; they aren’t regular about it, but enjoy smoking one if they’re going out somewhere together. I don’t think they really know that it could be dangerous because if they knew it was harmful, they probably wouldn’t do it,” she reasons. <br /><br />The fact remains, however, that hookahs are just as unhealthy as cigarettes. For starters, a person smoking a hookah tends to inhale a larger volume of smoke, especially since they would be smoking continuously for about half-an hour and the water at the base does nothing to filter out the nicotine and carcinogens, which make hookahs both addictive and dangerous. Dr Dayananda G, a physician, believes it’s high time that youngsters in the City are disabused of the notion that hookahs are safe to smoke.<br /><br /> “People believe it’s not harmful, but this isn’t true. The ill-effects of smoking are still present,” he says, adding, “cigarette manufacturers insert a filter into each cigarette, but this isn’t there in a hookah. And since the temperature of the smoke varies, the hazards are the same as in the case of the smoking.”<br /><br />He also highlights another angle to the issue. “People who have access to certain illegal, intoxicating substances often add them to hookahs before smoking them, since it gives them a kick. In this sense, smoking hookah is actually a social danger as well,” he concludes.<br /></p>
