No More Tobacco

The Rising Allure—and Danger—of Hookah…US News reported on January 2 that, the myth that “hookahs are safer than cigarettes because the water definitely cleans the smoke,” badly needs busting. In fact, this notion comes straight off the menu: “Smokers say shishas (hookahs) are smoother than cigarettes, and the water filter makes the smoke less harmful.” “Even though there’s water in these pipes, the smoke that comes out of the mouthpiece still contains carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine, and heavy metals,” says Thomas Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth University, whose research on smoking and addiction is funded by the National Institutes of Health. “So where’s the filtering?”For the full story: click here.