Aluminum Foil Is Bad For Your Health

[BillySoCo7]

So here's the deal. I'm a very seasoned smoker. I've been smoking hookah at least 3 times a day for the past 5-6 years now. I've tried every kind of hookah and tobacco out there. Lately i've been reading in some places that if you use Aluminum Foil on the bowl, there is an increased amount of aluminum in the smoke and it can cause health risks. I've also read some research lately that it is now being said that "Aluminum Poisoning", as their calling it is linked to Alzheimer's Disease. My question to you guys is, have any of you heard this also? Have you seen any studies that would support or refute this claim? Is this something that concerns you guys? I am a senior at a college in New York and i've been looking to do some undergraduate research to help me get into grad school. I'm a dual major in Chemistry and Math with a minor in business. We just got a new Atomic Absorbance Spectrometer in the lab. This is a machine that is able to scan a sample and give a quantitative readout of the contents of the same, on an atomic level. I have already talked to the Chair of the division of science and have gotten this research approved. The chair was very interested in this and said that they had done some looking for research on hookah's and couldn't find much concrete information. The plan is this winter interm, i'm going to be conducting research using this machine to test whether or not there really is an increased amount of aluminum in the smoke from using aluminum foil. I'm going to be publishing this paper in a science journal and hopefully getting a grant to preform more research on hookahs. If you guys have any input on this, i would GREATLY appreciate it. Also, what else would you like to see tested? And i don't mean me just going and writing some bullshit opinion, i mean really tested. What other questions do you have about hookahs that don't really have concrete evidential answers? If you guys could help me out with this I would be greatly appreciative. I want to conduct these tests to really be able to tell the hookah health bashers to shut their mouths. Once we get some concrete evidence scientifically proving the exact extent of the health affects of hookah smoking, we can have a much better argument and more leverage, both personally and on a business and law prospective. Thanks guys.

[momatik]

Hey that's awesome. I'm a bio major on the east coast (TCNJ) but only a sophmore.

-I think still the comparisons between hookah and cigarettes are unclear, and more research should be done on the subject.

-The effectiveness of the water filter in comparison to cigarette filters, as well as no filter at all would be interesting.

[BillySoCo7]

I agree with you completely man. The two other aspects i'm going to look into is the filtration of the water and also the effect of a tall hookah compared to a short one. I'm going to be testing the water to find out how much is filtered by the water and how much makes it through the water. I'm also then going to attempt to find a way to make the water more polar, and therefore filter better. It may be as easy as putting a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in to lower the pH or a couple tablespoons of baking soda in to raise the pH. This is stuff i'm going to try and find out so that everyone can get the water to work as a better filter. It may even be a drop of a certain chemical that would in no way affect the hookah's taste, smoke, or health, but would polarize the water more to allow it to filter out more ions from the smoke. Work in progress man. Thanks for the response.

[r1v3th3ad]

I remember reading about the aluminum to alzheimers awhile ago, not to mention how my dad always flips out when he sees me drinking soda out of a can...
What I remember the link between them being was: your body absorbs certain elements such as iron...well, they used to use aluminum in deodorants, I believe it was up until the 50s or so...these people are the era of alzheimers. Instead of getting the other elements, aluminum would be absorbed from the deodorant...I may be wrong(I am nowhere near an expert, just recalling my memory of the article), but it was absorbed through the lymph node.
This is a wonderful thing to try out.

What I would really like to see, as momatik wanted...is the correlation in health....How bad is hookah for you with tar, carcinogens, and other elements involved...I would like to hopefully be able to one day say to people confidently, "Hookah IS the healthiest form of smoking/tobacco."

Also, could you do a test using crap chinese hookahs like mitsuba? I found that they often have some sort of glue/plastic coating on the inside of the downstem, I'm wondering what kind of damage that can be doing with the heat blasting it from the coal.


Definitely great stuff man, keep us posted. If I can think of anything else, I'll toss it out there

[Giant Ninja Robot]

I'm very interested to see your results.

I feel that it might be interesting to throw the foil up/down debate in as a variable when testing the aluminum content in the smoke. Get an answer once and for all.

[Codename067]

Maybe we all have to move to screens?

Damn it.

lol

But yeah..some confirmed results would be nice!!

[newjacksm]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...22182258AA3ScNk

just found this.

It concerns me I am already a hypochondriac! But, I have smoked so much hookah the pass 4 years I dont think it woulod hurt to smoke a little hookah right now right before class Edited November 6, 2008 by newjacksm

[Cerritus]

I'd also like to see a test of different metals used as the stem. The DIY page is constantly covered in debates about copper, brass, and stainless steel.

[frost91]

im scared

[newjacksm]

Dont you have to burn the aluminum foil with a fire? if you light an open flame to aluminum foil youll see smoke come out of it with the coals you are just heating it and there is no smoke. I am no science person by any means but just throwing it out there. Edited November 6, 2008 by newjacksm

[Scoop]

someone explained this somewhere. wish i could remember where.

[Tom1]

someone explained this somewhere. wish i could remember where.

It isn't really something that can just be "explained". While using it on a hookah or in an oven may expose it to similair temperatures, it would be much harder for your body to expel the aluminum from your lungs rather than your stomach.

[shisha fan]

this really worries me, i already have a terrible memory. does this also apply to the the metal screens?
if so, i`ll probably switch to a glass screen.

[Scoop]

i dont think your lungs are going to expel the aluminum. i think its heated enough to cause particles to leech into the smoke. they enter your bloodstream and are filtered through your liver (hopefully?)

[Rayneuki]

I would personally like to see the HEALTH differences between using QL's and Naturals.
You know, to see if using QL's does more to the body than just make the shisha taste odd... Ya know?

Also I would like to know if using a Phunnel versus a normal or mod bowl has anything to do with health risks. Perhaps the phunnel is more likely to give less actual SMOKE versus vapor... Or something. lol

[BillySoCo7]

Thanks guys. These are all great things to test, and i'm going to do my best to test all of them. I just figured i would start with the aluminum and see where that goes. I am doing these studies because i do believe it is the healthiest way to smoke tobacco, i just want to have some hard evidence to prove it. There is alot of speculation out there that it is or isn't, but nobody has hard fact to back up ANYTHING. I'm hoping this gives us those facts. It will be published so it will be legit. I am working now to collaborate with the nursing and bio division here at the college to get a health aspect as well. I'm going to be doing the testing from a chemical and quantitative standpoint. The nursing and bio division are going to be able to make an educated correlation between the numbers i get and the health risks/benefits. For example i am going to be running a test on my blood serum that is going to reflect the amount of aluminum in my blood stream. This is going to help make a correlation between the aluminum that is produced in the smoke and how much of it is actually absorbed into the blood stream. I keep mentioning aluminum because it is the first i'm testing. I will be testing some other models as well. I think i am going to start out by testing a pair of MYA's, just because they are not hand crafted and can get a couple of them that are EXACTLY the same. Keep the ideas coming guys. I am listening and will be keeping you all up to date on my findings.

[ColibriDon]

I'm very interested in this research. Like most of you, I believe that Hookah really is the safest form of smoking. That being said, I'm skeptical about the aluminum being bad for your health.

The reason I say this, and Billy, you can confirm/deny this for me, is because I grill things all the time and sometimes I wrap it aluminum foil. This is exposed to a flame directly and I eat this at least 3-4 times a month, as does my entire family hehe.

Is it possible that this "aluminum poisoning" could be transmitted through that?

If this turns out to be true, I will be very sad. I love BBQ and Hookah, I can't lose both. haha

[atticus]

This article makes a decent argument that we are safe, or at least not any more in danger than anyone else:

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/...p?documentID=99

[BillySoCo7]

Hey colibridon, i feel ya man. I'm a BBQ guy myself. The fact is that when you heat up aluminum foil, some of the aluminum metal will always come off of it, at an atomic level. With that being said, aluminum is good for you and is essential for the body. Like anything though, too much is bad. What i want to study is just how much aluminum is being given off, and if this can be reduced, why the hell not. I'm using aluminum as a starting point, and i feel very strongly that I am going to be finding out other things along the road. I also feel pretty strongly that I am going to be able to find a way to, probably not eliminate, but reduce what's coming through the smoke by some means.

One more thing about the BBQ, i think that the body is much more prepared to dispose of aluminum in the stomach rather than the lungs. The stomach and digestive system has alot of mechanisms for only taking what it needs and excreting what it does not. You're lungs don't poop though, so that's why aluminum from cooking is prob ok, aluminum in your lungs from smoking is not. Tests will tell.

Enjoy that BBQ!

[AKammenzind]

Life's too short to worry about shite like that. Either use screens, or can it and stop acting like an old granny who's just watched an infomercial that told her about a disease she might have.

[Tom1]

Life's too short to worry about shite like that. Either use screens, or can it and stop acting like an old granny who's just watched an infomercial that told her about a disease she might have.

Solid logic and reasoning.

[BillySoCo7]

wow.... ignorance is bliss huh AKammenzind ? Do what you want. I've smoked using aluminum foil for 5 years every day and will still continue to do so. Knowing the facts never hurt though. It helps people make an educated decision instead of just listening to people's dumb ass opinions that they put forth as fact. That's all. So thank you for putting such a constructive post on this thread. You've made a difference in the world. Congratulations. Edited November 7, 2008 by BillySoCo7

[shisha fan]

Knowing the facts never hurt though. It helps people make an educated decision instead of just listening to people's dumb ass opinions that they put forth as fact.

trueer words have seldom been spoken (or typed in this case). i smoke hookah almost everyday and i would like to know the facts about the dangers of smoking with aluminum foil, so that i can switch to a glass screen if necessary.

[barrenwizard]

Or at least, knowing what kills you when you're dying. DAMN!

[Cybersist]

id think melting foil would be bad, not necesarly using it in a hookah manner