Are hookahs healthier than cigarettes?

shisha girl

Smoking shisha is above all in recent years in young people to one real trend become. The myth that it is healthier than smoking conventional cigarettes has also spread there. Compared to cigarettes, the shisha also has a particularly sociable effect: hookah bars are often well stocked, people meet and spend time together with other people while the shisha is often over smoked for several hours is.

But many meet also at hometo smoke a pipe together. The smell is sweet and the shishas look good, so it is inviting to take a puff. But the shishas in the Compared to classic cigarettes really fewer health risks? In the following, we will get to the bottom of this question and explain what you need to pay attention to.

This is how a hookah works

It can be a number Accessories on doshisha.de Find. There you have one large selection and can put together your shisha individually. The functioning of the hookah is quite simple: the tobacco is on top of the so-called head. Aluminum foil or a thin metal is usually placed on top, both allow air to pass through holes.

The charcoal is then placed on top, causing the tobacco to glow. If the hose of the shisha is pulled, a negative pressure is created and the Smoke comes out through the pillar and the so-called bowl, the water-filled lower vessel. The smoke cools down and then reaches your mouth.

What to look out for when smoking shisha?

hookah friends

Who is one? own hookah wants to buy is spoiled for choice from various models. Although these differ in terms of their equipment, they always consist of the basic components: water tank, smoke column, head and hose. The optics are also different, especially with regard to the material from which the smoke column is made. Metal models in particular are popular here.

The hookah is not about burning the tobacco, instead the heat and moisture are supposed to release the flavorings from the tobacco. This also distinguishes the water pipe from the conventional cigarette. On the one hand, when smoking a shisha, you need the real tobacco and on the other hand a heat source.

become special hookah tobacco used, which are mixed with different flavorings. Either self-igniting hookah charcoal or natural charcoal can be used as a heat source. The latter must be heated, for example, by a small oven. The self-igniting hookah charcoal is simply ignited with the lighter.

It is important that the Charcoal always glows wellso that it doesn't affect the taste. The consumption of a shisha is permitted from the age of 18, if steam stones are used, then the use of the shisha is not subject to the legal situation relating to tobacco consumption.

Opposite trend: fewer cigarettes, more shisha

According to the German Ministry of Health, around 120.000 people die every year as a result of tobacco consumption. The number of smokers is falling constantly, many are apparently deterred by the health risk. However, this does not apply to shishas, ​​more and more shisha bars are opening, especially in cities. In 2016 even smoke more teenagers hookah than cigarettes, which is confirmed by the figures from the German Cancer Research Center.

In 2018, around a third of 12 to 17 year olds had tried a shisha. But if you look at the substances, it quickly becomes clear that the water pipe not healthier than a cigarette can be. The smoke from water pipes also contains harmful substances.

Why the shisha is not healthier

cigarette woman

Many people consider the consumption of a shisha to be harmless or less harmful to health than cigarettes. This is mainly due to the fact that the smoke through the water vessel is conducted. A proportion of the pollutants are filtered out by the water, but almost exclusively water-soluble particles and substances. In addition, many packages for shisha tobacco state that no tar is contained. This is also initially true, but you still take in tar when you inhale. However, this is only generated during active smoking. The sweetish taste that comes through different flavors is generated, belies the ingredients.

First there are short-term effects, the shisha burns coal, then large amounts of carbon monoxide are produced. The carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen in the blood and ensures that less oxygen is absorbed and distributed. This can result in headaches or even carbon monoxide poisoning if smoked very intensively and for a long time. How dangerous the shisha is to health depends primarily on the frequency and intensity with which the shisha is pulled.

Direct comparison to the cigarette

If you pull on a shisha, you often get the same or even one higher risk one than with cigarettes. A shisha session has the risk potential of between one and 50 cigarettes. The toxins in the shisha also cause long-term damage, as cells in the mouth and throat are attacked. The circulatory system also becomes paralyzed, as does breathing. Many substances contained in the smoke are considered to be carcinogenic. In direct comparison with a cigarette, the shisha absorbs ten times more carbon monoxide. Depending on duration of the session you take in up to 36 times more tar at the same time, which is deposited in the lungs. The amount depends on the shisha head, the coal, the hose and the tobacco.

leather hoses For example, reduce carbon monoxide levels. The nicotine it contains also has the potential for addiction. Shisha smoke is usually inhaled more deeply than a cigarette. This is because the smoke is cooled and because of the flavorings that are added to the tobacco. In the long term, the body suffers from consumption, just like with cigarettes. For example, the restricted lung function.

Nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar: shisha smoke is hazardous to health

Nicotine is absorbed both when smoking a cigarette and when smoking a shisha. The amount of nicotine absorbed is not reduced by the water. A shisha usually takes about 30-60 minutes, with consumers absorbing between 1,6 and 5 mg of nicotine. When smoking a cigarette it is 0,7-3 mg. At the same time, the proportion of carbon monoxide is higher. Burning also produces tar, which is an additional health hazard.

The additives

In addition, a shisha contains other additives that can also be harmful to health. These include flavorings, sugar or glycerin. Flavorings are contained in tobacco. This makes the smoke taste better and easier to inhale. At the same time, they have a specific smell or taste, such as apple, peach or mango.

This also creates the belief that smoking a shisha is more harmless because it smells good. But if the chemical additives get into the lungs, they can also accumulate there have a negative impact on health. Sugar can also be contained in tobacco. When the sugar is burned, harmful substances are produced which are also inhaled and deposited in the heart and lungs. The glycerine keeps the tobacco moist, and heating glycerine creates a poison. This is also inhaled and deposited.

Conclusion: E-shishas probably less harmful

In addition to the classic shishas, ​​there are also e-shishas. These are called healthier alternative advertised and there is actually something to this claim. But these also contain substances the hazardous to health are. Even nicotine-free variants contain flavorings or other compounds, depending on the product, which should not be inhaled.

Nevertheless, it is estimated that the health risk is around ten times lower because the pollution level is lower. This is mainly due to the fact that the contents of the e-vapor differ greatly from those in shishas or cigarettes. The e-shisha cannot be recommended from a health point of view, but it may actually be a much healthier alternative to conventional cigarette smoking.

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