Second Hand Hookah Smoke Vs Second Hand Cigarette Smoke

[thatonethere]

We've all heard all sorts of good and bad things pertaining to hookah. My question to you is whether second hand hookah smoke is better, worse, or equally harmful as second hand cig smoke.

[mattarios2]

[quote name='thatonethere' date='12 January 2010 - 08:35 PM' timestamp='1263342906' post='444875']
We've all heard all sorts of good and bad things pertaining to hookah. My question to you is whether second hand hookah smoke is better, worse, or equally harmful as second hand cig smoke.
[/quote]

I personally do not know but would for sure think hookah smoke is healthier to breath, at least in equal amounts to cigg smoke if nothing else.
Scientifically, I cannot help you, but say that ciggs are burned hookah isn't, which would lead me to believe hookah smoke is much better.

Someone on here said there was a study that said 2nd hand hookah smoke isn't even smoke, merely vapors. Which i would assume (I know it is bad to assume) is healthier than 2nd hand cigg smoke.

More will chime in.

[fineout]

ill say it first before anyone else says anything, its the same as whether hookah in general is worse better or the same as cigarrettes...noone knows

[Chreees]

There's no evidence because no controlled studies have REALLY been done... And there's so many factors to consider anyway. This is all I can say... Hookah smoke smells good and doesn't make me wanna gag... Cig smoke does.

[seefoodlover]

has anybody smoked hookah WITHOUT water in the base? if so (I wouldn't imagine ur inhaling, because its probably hot and harsh) what is the smoke like? Does it dissipate quickly like filtered hookah smoke? Or does it stick around like cig/cigar smoke?

[nars2k]

Someone here needs to conduct a controlled experiment so we get these topics out of the way

[thatonethere]

[quote name='seefoodlover' date='12 January 2010 - 07:22 PM' timestamp='1263349335' post='444909']
has anybody smoked hookah WITHOUT water in the base? if so (I wouldn't imagine ur inhaling, because its probably hot and harsh) what is the smoke like? Does it dissipate quickly like filtered hookah smoke? Or does it stick around like cig/cigar smoke?
[/quote]

I'll have to try this. I'll do it sometime later this week and report results.

I know cig smoke is nasty. I grew up with a cig smoker in the house and I know how stinky it could get.

[Travis]

My brother has asthma...........When he is around someone smoking a cig he cant hardly lay off the inhaler, YET he can sit and chill with me, inside my room, and be perfectly fine.


And i have smoked without water in the base (complete accident, didnt even realize it at first) and i couldnt even tell the difference in smoke.
I ended up finishing off that bowl with nothing in the base and it affected the cloud density vaguely, somewhat thicker clouds but as far as harshness goes.....nothing. Edited January 13, 2010 by tpatt90

[seefoodlover]

very interesting....

[thatonethere]

[quote name='tpatt90' date='12 January 2010 - 08:27 PM' timestamp='1263353271' post='444923']
My brother has asthma...........When he is around someone smoking a cig he cant hardly lay off the inhaler, YET he can sit and chill with me, inside my room, and be perfectly fine.


And i have smoked without water in the base (complete accident, didnt even realize it at first) and i couldnt even tell the difference in smoke.
I ended up finishing off that bowl with nothing in the base and it affected the cloud density vaguely, somewhat thicker clouds but as far as harshness goes.....nothing.
[/quote]


Wow.. That's really interesting. I would think the smoke would be hotter without water. Water is supposed to cool the smoke (at least that's what I thought) . If what you say is true, then what's the point of adding water to the hookah anyway if it doesn't cool the smoke?

[Chreees]

[quote name='tpatt90' date='12 January 2010 - 09:27 PM' timestamp='1263353271' post='444923']
My brother has asthma...........When he is around someone smoking a cig he cant hardly lay off the inhaler, YET he can sit and chill with me, inside my room, and be perfectly fine.


And i have smoked without water in the base (complete accident, didnt even realize it at first) and i couldnt even tell the difference in smoke.
I ended up finishing off that bowl with nothing in the base and it affected the cloud density vaguely, somewhat thicker clouds but as far as harshness goes.....nothing.
[/quote]

Mkay, two things... First of all, how'd you not notice your hookah was being so silent? You must have a super quiet one where you can't hear the bubbles, lol.

Second, your pic of the black guy in your sig is scaring me for some reason... Care to explain?

[Travis]

Lol i was doing quite a bit of multitasking and i hurried that set up.
Once i realized it i was like .
Everyone has made stupid mistakes when it comes to hookah, and if you say you havent then you sir/madam, are a fibber.




Oh yeah and that dude in my sig is the what what in the butt guy. His name is samwell.
I just saw that gif and started laughing, knew i could put good use to it.


Edit: I was smoking my qt when this happened.
In the garage when my cousin was trying to fix his dirtbike.
Still not an excuse i know but hey, what can you do. Edited January 13, 2010 by tpatt90

[Travis]

wouldnt let me edit the post.

Forgot to mention that i like my hookah to give a little bite when i smoke it.
Not burning hot but enough to where i can feel it when i inhale.
So it wasnt harsh to me but to someone else it may have been.
And i know someone is gonna ask so ill go ahead and say that i do not burn my bowls.........heat management is key and i know how to keep a jolly medium.
.surely someone else out there likes there bowl to smoke like this also? Edited January 13, 2010 by tpatt90

[ih303]

I've pulled hookahs that didn't have water enough to reach the stem before. I notice immediately because it is harsh right off the bat. I definately think the water affects the coolness and the smoothness of the smoke.

As to health concerns, it's my understanding that the big difference between cigs and hookah is the tar. It's the tar that creates that lingering smell. It's the tar that gets into your clothes and makes them stink. It's the tar that colors teeth and walls yellow. Please, someone, correct me if I'm wrong here. But since we don't actually burn the tobacco, there is no tar and therefore none of those undesireable attributes.

I know it's the unanswerable question here on the forums, but when people come into my lounge and ask me if hookah is healthy, I tell them no. But I do tell them it's less harmful than smoking cigs, which is what I currently believe based on all the information I've read. Just my $0.02 though.

[mattarios2]

One time a friend and I tried smoking a bowl with no water in the vase, and DAMN, was incredibly harsh, un-hittable.

In comparison to what someone above said, saying it smoked fine, it may depend on the shisha. Maybe some shishas smoke fine without water and some don't.

[Chreees]

Ah ok, tpatt, I've never seen the what what in the butt guy on youtube. I've just seen the South Park epsiode where Butters says it, lol.

And yeah, you must've been REALLY busy to not have noticed your QT wasn't bubbling. Mine's pretty loud. When I'm on the phone people are like, "Are you smoking your hookah? I can hear it." Lol.

[Stuie]

I am still not convinced that second hand smoke is all that bad. I think it's been exaggerated.

[sine]

I, for one, actually have asthma, and can testify that my lungs feel pretty shitty after 1 cig. Comparably, I can have a nice 2 hour hookah session before my asthma starts to flare up. Mind you, it still doesn't stop me; ill stick around for five or more hours if the bowl keeps going and my lungs don't feel toooo worn out...

[Remy]

Unless you went to the same smoke-filled restaurant like every day I am having a hard time seeing why you would have even close to the same health complications as actual smokers.

Also, if the nicotine and carcinogen exposure is so powerful why don't second-hand smoke victims become addicted to it?

[thatonethere]

To be honest, I think the whole "second hand cigarette smoke" theory is bogus. I grew up in a home where both parents smoked ciggs. I don't have asthma, and never developed any lung complications. I just remembering wishing it didn't stink so much in the house. Plus, there is second hand smoke from everywhere that people breathe on a daily basis. I'm sure that deisel smoke, car exhaust, industry gasses, dust, and acts of nature can do a lot of damage to somebody over time. But why do people fuss so much over smoking in general?

That's the main thing I love about hookah. It smells wonderful and doesn't turn white things yellow.

But anyway, back to the topic on hand.

Thanks Mattarios2 for saving me the trouble of trying it without water. The last thing I wanted to do is burn my lungs from the inside out.

Thanks ih303 for clearing that health issue up with the tar. I figured that since cig tobacco is ignited, or lit, there would be more carcinogens in the air related to that, and that's what the other people are breathing. Speaking of tar, that brings up another thing I've always wondered about. It sounds like the hookah really doesn't produce tar since the shisha isn't ignited. I guess shisha manufactures are required to list the percentage of tar the shisha has in it just in case somebody decides to ignite it (just covering their asses) . Is that really the case?

[ih303]

[quote name='thatonethere' date='14 January 2010 - 12:50 AM' timestamp='1263455401' post='445221']
To be honest, I think the whole "second hand cigarette smoke" theory is bogus. I grew up in a home where both parents smoked ciggs. I don't have asthma, and never developed any lung complications. I just remembering wishing it didn't stink so much in the house. Plus, there is second hand smoke from everywhere that people breathe on a daily basis. I'm sure that deisel smoke, car exhaust, industry gasses, dust, and acts of nature can do a lot of damage to somebody over time. But why do people fuss so much over smoking in general?

That's the main thing I love about hookah. It smells wonderful and doesn't turn white things yellow.

But anyway, back to the topic on hand.

Thanks Mattarios2 for saving me the trouble of trying it without water. The last thing I wanted to do is burn my lungs from the inside out.

Thanks ih303 for clearing that health issue up with the tar. I figured that since cig tobacco is ignited, or lit, there would be more carcinogens in the air related to that, and that's what the other people are breathing. Speaking of tar, that brings up another thing I've always wondered about. It sounds like the hookah really doesn't produce tar since the shisha isn't ignited. I guess shisha manufactures are required to list the percentage of tar the shisha has in it just in case somebody decides to ignite it (just covering their asses) . Is that really the case?
[/quote]


I'm not exactly sure if there are exceptions made for imported tobacco products, but the FDA mandates that tobacco companies label their products with tar and nicotine percentages amongst other things. From what I can tell, most tobacco companies determine this level through the use of a "smoking machine." I've been unable to find any information pertaining to the process involved in determining these levels for shisha. Eric may be able to help out on that one since I'm sure he's mandated to provide that information because of that law.

As far as I can tell, the amount of tar you get from smoking has more to do with HOW you smoke than WHAT you smoke. Since we try hard to NOT burn the tobacco in our bowls, and since tar is a byproduct of combustion, the amount of tar is reduced. However, smoking something like Zaghloul or Soft Black without foil would, I'm sure, produce quite a bit more tar. In fact, I'm convinced that most of these "smoking hookah is ten-billion times worse than cigarettes" studies that come out utilize the Zag method (sans foil). This skews the results and is an inaccurate representation of typical western smoking style.

[Arcane]

[quote name='seefoodlover' date='12 January 2010 - 04:22 PM' timestamp='1263349335' post='444909']
has anybody smoked hookah WITHOUT water in the base? if so (I wouldn't imagine ur inhaling, because its probably hot and harsh) what is the smoke like? Does it dissipate quickly like filtered hookah smoke? Or does it stick around like cig/cigar smoke?
[/quote]

i have....and to be honest, i wouldn't have noticed it was missing water if it wasn't for lack of rumble...

kinda makes me wonder if the water does much of anything....

[thatonethere]

[quote name='ih303' date='14 January 2010 - 08:16 AM' timestamp='1263482219' post='445276']
[quote name='thatonethere' date='14 January 2010 - 12:50 AM' timestamp='1263455401' post='445221']
To be honest, I think the whole "second hand cigarette smoke" theory is bogus. I grew up in a home where both parents smoked ciggs. I don't have asthma, and never developed any lung complications. I just remembering wishing it didn't stink so much in the house. Plus, there is second hand smoke from everywhere that people breathe on a daily basis. I'm sure that deisel smoke, car exhaust, industry gasses, dust, and acts of nature can do a lot of damage to somebody over time. But why do people fuss so much over smoking in general?

That's the main thing I love about hookah. It smells wonderful and doesn't turn white things yellow.

But anyway, back to the topic on hand.

Thanks Mattarios2 for saving me the trouble of trying it without water. The last thing I wanted to do is burn my lungs from the inside out.

Thanks ih303 for clearing that health issue up with the tar. I figured that since cig tobacco is ignited, or lit, there would be more carcinogens in the air related to that, and that's what the other people are breathing. Speaking of tar, that brings up another thing I've always wondered about. It sounds like the hookah really doesn't produce tar since the shisha isn't ignited. I guess shisha manufactures are required to list the percentage of tar the shisha has in it just in case somebody decides to ignite it (just covering their asses) . Is that really the case?
[/quote]


I'm not exactly sure if there are exceptions made for imported tobacco products, but the FDA mandates that tobacco companies label their products with tar and nicotine percentages amongst other things. From what I can tell, most tobacco companies determine this level through the use of a "smoking machine." I've been unable to find any information pertaining to the process involved in determining these levels for shisha. Eric may be able to help out on that one since I'm sure he's mandated to provide that information because of that law.

As far as I can tell, the amount of tar you get from smoking has more to do with HOW you smoke than WHAT you smoke. Since we try hard to NOT burn the tobacco in our bowls, and since tar is a byproduct of combustion, the amount of tar is reduced. However, smoking something like Zaghloul or Soft Black without foil would, I'm sure, produce quite a bit more tar. [b]In fact, I'm convinced that most of these "smoking hookah is ten-billion times worse than cigarettes" studies that come out utilize the Zag method (sans foil). This skews the results and is an inaccurate representation of typical western smoking style.
[/b][/quote]

Hmmmmmm. Now that's something to think about. You have a great point there.

[sine]

Also, I'm becoming more convinced that smoking out of a phunnel is safer than an Egyptian. Like I already stated, my asthma will get aggravated after 1 cig, or about 20 mins on an Egyptian bowl. But since the heated air doesn't pass thru the tobacco on a phunnel, it doesn't char the tobacco as thoroughly, and you don't get as much burnt plant matter. I can smoke out of a phunnel for hours with only slight asthmatic onset, and I think it's because the "smoke" from a phunnel is much more of a vapor than the smoke from traditional bowls.

[Sonthert]

I think that on a gram per gram or mL per mL basis, hookah second hand smoke has less carcinogens. There is much more of it in general however which negates that tendency.

Some researcher proposed that there is no second hand smoke from a hookah, which is partially true, The charcoal does give off dangerous, poisonous and carcinogenic chemicals however.