75A - PH-HOOKAH PARLORS - Laserfiche WebLink

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l~'t ~i ~' 1*RDRP rne.oco-d Dlsw~ \ I IZI>IZI' I'ubliratiun ~'~~~~++~ \rurl~ I~~~~rml - ~i~lumc ~. ~umhrr ~\u~ua 2O0~ Hooked on Hookah? What You Obn't KMow Can 1 11 You by Kamlesh Asotra, Ph.D. "Harmful hookahs lure a young crowd "-announces the headline of a recent Contra Costa Times article. According to the article, public health professionals in California are very concerned about hookah smoking among our youth.' Researchers across the globe have echoed similar concerns.Z•' A growing number of college students and others in the United States who have tried or now regularly participate in hookah smoking claim that they do not smoke cigarettes or use tobacco. Most of these individuals believe that hookah smoke is neither addictive nor as harmful as cigarette or cigar smoke.' This sense of false security may be perpetuated by the myth that the hookah smoke, after bubbling through water becomes devoid of the harmful elements that are present in cigarette smoke. Among more than 1 billion smokers worldwide, 100 million people in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East use water pipe or hookah to smoke tobacco. Water pipe is var- iously known in different regions as hookah (Indian sub- continent and Africa), shisha, borry, goza (Egypt, Saudi Arabia), narghile, arghile (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel), shui yan dai (China), or bubble-bubble. It's believed to have originated in India in the 16th century and found its way to Persia (Iran), Turkey, and the Eastern Mediterraneans In the last 25 years, hookah smoking has become increasingly popular in Arab societies, Europe, and the United States due mainly to the cultural and social practices of new immigrants from countries where hookah smoking is an accepted tradition. Recently, hookah bars have mushroomed across California and in several other states with sizable Arab-American popula- tions. More than 300 hookah bars are operating in the United States, with at least 50 in California. Many are located near colleges, universities, and shopping malls and are frequented by college students and locals. The bars offer an "exotic ambience" where customers can smoke a variety of fruit flavors and aromas in smoking sessions that last 45 to 60 minutes, for the cost of about $15.^ Is hookah smoke really so innocuous? This article describes hookah smoke chemistry and highlights facts related to hookah smoking and diseases that deserve attention and further scientific research. Hookah tobacco combustion-"cool" burning Hookah or water pipe is made of a clay bowl, body, water reservoir, and a stem or hose for inhalation of tobacco smoke. Hookah tobacco--inu'essel or maassel (assal means EXHIBIT B 75A-21