We wanted to share a little bit with you about the rise in popularity of smoking hookah. Nationwide and in Oregon the popularity of smoking this flavored tobacco is increasing. In a recent article posted on KTVZ.com, students from a high school in Bend were interviewed about the presence and popularity of hookah amongst their peers. One youth stated “’it’s more of a social thing… with hookah you have to set it all up and just sit around in a circle and smoke’” and a survey of the youth showed “hookahs are a common fixture at parties and friends’ homes”. This specific survey showed that students do not understand the similarities between the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes and those with smoking hookah. For example, “hookah pipes produce much more smoke than cigarettes…and contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide”. This makes smoking hookah not only dangerous for those actually smoking but also puts those in the vicinity at a higher health risk due to second hand smoke. This is just informational but we hope that youth continue to explore these issues before deciding to participate in smoking hookah.
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