The fruity taste of shisha, or hookah, makes think wrongly that it is less dangerous for health than cigarettes, when it is not. In question, the quantity of carbon monoxide, significantly higher than tobacco. Among other things, according to researchers at the University of California, in the United States, it would contain various carcinogenic substances and nicotine.
Dr. Gideon St. Helen, who directed study, examined urine samples from 55 regular shisha smokers, aged 18 to 48 and in good health. They each respected the instruction not to smoke for a week before the test. Then, in a shisha bar, they spent an average of 74 minutes smoking, soaking up almost 0.6 “bowls of hookah water” per person.
Cause of leukemia
After analysis, the researchers found high levels of nicotine, cotinine, various forms of carcinogenic fluids and volatile organic compounds in the samples. The study, published by the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, proves that “even if water pipes are generally perceived as a less dangerous alternative to cigarettes, for children and young people, its use is not without risks”, indicate the researchers, also warning against risks of nicotine addiction.
“Our study shows that shisha contains harmful substances known to be one of the causes of leukemia, the most common cancer in children and young people,” they conclude.
