Thread: Hookah???

Originally Posted by ItsASecret

Not as dangerous as cigarettes but it is still something like all other drugs that should not be continuously used. The issue arises from the lack of care in the product itself. These days drug dealers will lace their products with more harsh substances to create a bigger high in their clients causing them to come back more. So clearly that can be a problem as the kids would have no idea what they are even getting in their product. In the case of hookah, though it has ancient roots, is becoming more popular in the teenage kids that are looking for more ways to be 'deviant'. The method of smoking it with the pipes and water filter does not remove all the harmful chemicals that are produced when it is smoked. Those impurities can cause problems that researchers do not even know since smoking something can produce thousands and thousands of unknown chemicals. The major concern with hookah is the increased levels of CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen, this chemical causes cells to stick together. Much of this sticking together is seen in cancer patients, particularly colon cancer though studies have seen it increased in patients with gastric, breast, lung, thyroid, and pancreatic cancers. Smoking it once or twice does not dramatically increase CEA though, it would take a long time to develop but nonetheless researchers are starting to see increased levels of CEA in people who are chronic hookah smokers.

Good information! Thanks for the post I didn't know all that about hookah's links to cancer