Letter to the Editor:
While hookah bars have been common in parts of New York City, several are now popping up in Westchester County including Cousins Cigar Lounge in New Rochelle. While cigarette smoking is on the decline nationwide, it is quickly being replaced by a growing trend – hookah smoking. Hookah is becoming increasingly popular among young people and is often a means of social interaction because it is typically used in groups.
Hookah smoking is falsely perceived as being “less harmful” than cigarettes. Patrons who never considered themselves smokers are participating in this social movement unaware of the dangers it can cause their bodies, even if they refrain from traditional tobacco use, namely cigarettes.
According to the American Lung Association, because of the way a hookah is used, smokers may absorb more toxic substances than cigarette smokers do. The amount of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 milliliters (ml), compared with 500–600 ml inhaled when smoking a cigarette.
While research on hookah smoking in the U.S. is still emerging, it has become evident that participating in hookah activities creates dangerous risks surpassing those from cigarette smoking. Hookah smoking is a silent public health threat that keeps growing. This deadly trend could possibly lead to an increase of overall tobacco use (cigarettes included). Like cigarettes, hookah access should be limited and individuals should be educated on the dangers of hookah before they start.
For all who are interested in making a Quit Smoking attempt they should talk with their doctors. For more information, call the New York Smoker’s Quitline at 1 (866) NY-Quits (1 866 697-8487).
Leilani Lockett
Tobacco Program Manager
Center for a Tobacco Free Hudson Valley
(a grant program of the American Lung Association of the Northeast and a new program of the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control, Health Systems for a Tobacco-Free NYS)