Hookah, hubbly bubbly, narghiles, shisha, or goza. It's very popular among young people.

The likes of DJ Tira, DJ Maphorisa, Oscar Mbo and Mihlali Ndamase have been seen smoking hookah.

The tradition dates back to 16th-century India where craftsmen took pride in the aesthetics and redefined the look of the pipe through woodworking techniques, setting hookah innovation in motion.

Smoking hookah involves consuming tobacco through a water pipe so that the smoke passes through water and is cooled before being inhaled. New forms of electronic hookah smoking are also available.

Smoking hookah is deeply rooted in a cultural tradition that has been present through many generations among Indian, Persian, Turkish, Egyptian, and other Middle Eastern families.

But it has been a clubbing sensation where and often young people share pipes during social gatherings. 

However, not many know the risks involved.

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For instance, smoking one hookah can give you as much nicotine as 10 cigarettes and contains 36 times more tar and an estimated eight times more monoxide than the smoke from a cigarette, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa).

Here are 14 other risks associated with smoking and sharing hookah.

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According to Cansa health specialist Professor Michael Herbs, hookah tobacco and smoke contain many toxic agents that can cause clogged arteries and heart disease.

“Second-hand smoke from hookahs can also be a health risk for non-smokers as it contains smoke from the tobacco as well as smoke from the heat source,” he adds.

Additional sources:  https://cansa.org.za/ ,  https://jamanetwork.com/ , http://shishanothanks.org.au/

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