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I always thought Hookah was sightly better because it doesn't generally contain many of the dangerous additives as cigarettes, but apparently it's still quite bad because you end up inhaling bar larger quantities per session.
The CDC has a nice article on it
CDC - Fact Sheet - Hookahs - Smoking & Tobacco Use
The CDC has a nice article on it
CDC - Fact Sheet - Hookahs - Smoking & Tobacco Use
Compared with Cigarettes
While many hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes.1,2
Water pipe smoking delivers the addictive drug nicotine and is at least as toxic as cigarette smoke,2 and some users of hookah report being dependent on hookah and having difficulty quitting.4
The tobacco in hookahs is combusted (exposed to high heat).1
Due to the mode of smoking—including frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking session—hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.1,2
A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs, while an average cigarette is 20 puffs. The volume of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 milliliters (ml), compared with 500–600 ml inhaled when smoking a cigarette.4
Hookah smokers are at risk for the same kinds of diseases caused by cigarette smoking. These include oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the esophagus, reduced lung function, and decreased fertility.3,4