If you think hookahs are harmless, think again.

If you’ve got a teen or college age student - pay attention. 

Hookah smoking is growing rapidly in popularity among this age group and very few users know the facts. Hookah fans often believe it’s benign compared with other types of smoking, and according to Joseph Caruso, professor of chemistry at the University of Cincinnati, “that is a load of BS.” His own son even swore off hookah smoking after learning the findings of his father’s recent study: 

Hookah smokers use a special tobacco mixture called shisha, sold online and in stores. They’re laced with chemical flavors such as chocolate, mint or cherry, to make them taste better. When tested, these tobaccos also contained toxic metals, including high levels of lead. Tobaccos from the Middle East, which are the most popular for hookahs, have twice the levels of metals as U.S. tobaccos. You don’t have to inhale to be at risk, and the hookah water does NOT filter them out as many would like to believe.

There are also possible contaminants from the metals and ceramics in the pipe itself - and the charcoal used to heat the tobacco. Don’t forget the highly addictive nicotine. Like all tobacco, hookah tobacco has that too. If you’re still tempted, consider the oral herpes and other germs all over that shared hookah pipe before you take a hit.