Hookahres?

I do.

Thirty-eight states have some form of tobacco control policies and twenty-six states ban smoking from restaurants and bars. However, Hookahs or water pipes lounges are not included in many of these bans because they are considered as tobacco shops which are exempt from many laws.

So how common are Hookah bars and what do they look like?

 Hookahs originated from Persia and India centuries ago and are becoming more popular in Europe as well as the United States. According to the CDC, there were around 300 Hookah lounges in the United States in 2006 and that number is growing.  Admittedly as someone who doesn’t smoke cigarettes or like them smell of them, I don’t mind the smell of flavored Hookah. Who wouldn’t enjoy these cozy pillows and the smell mint?! What I didn’t know and what others may not realize is that environmental tobacco exposure to Hookah is harmful.

And the problem is?

 A recent study carried out by Oregon Public Health division actually measured environmental tobacco smoke in Oregon Hookah lounges.  Researchers went to Hookah Lounges and measured environmental tobacco smoke.  They found air quality measures which would be considered as unhealthy to hazardous according the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards.

What are EPA categories?

These EPA categories are similar to what you have heard on the radio or TV on hot days in the Atlanta except what you hear about outdoor air quality would apply to the air in Hookah Lounges. For example, unhealthy levels mean people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid prolonged activity and everyone else should reduce levels of exertion outdoors, meaning susceptible groups should avoid Hookah Lounges for a long time and everyone else should reduce their P-90X or shake-weight workouts at Hookah Lounges.  Hazardous means people with heart and lung disease should stay indoors and everyone else should avoid all physical activity outdoors meaning people with immune systems should probably not go to Hookah Lounges and everyone else should forgo running on the treadmill in a Hookah Lounge.  

What does this mean? 

In all seriousness though, Hookah Lounges have grim health consequences. Regular hookah smokers suffer from many of the same health problems as smokers including lung and esophageal cancer. The second-hand exposures from Hookahs are also dangerous.  So next time you step into a Hookah Lounge, you might want to think about what you are exposed to before you get too cozy in those pillows. 

Citation:

Fiala S, Morris D, Pawlak R. Measuring Indoor Air Quality of Hookah Lounges. AJPH  2012; 102:2043-2045.

Stacey is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University.  She enjoys hiking, going on urban adventures, and cares about a lot of things in addition to hookah second-hand smoke.