The Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education serves as a focal point for a broad range of research, education, and public service activities for 46 faculty in 11 departments and all 4 schools at UCSF, as well as colleagues at UC Berkeley and UC Merced. It is part of the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute and its membership is congruent with the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Tobacco Control Program. The Center is also a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Tobacco Control.
Comparison of Nicotine and Carcinogen Exposure With Water Pipe and Cigarette Smoking
Smoking tobacco through a hookah is a pastime gaining popularity among the college crowd, but many of them mistakenly believe that using the fragrant water pipe is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
In a new study at UC San Francisco, researchers measuring chemicals in the blood and urine concluded that hookah smoke contains a different – but still harmful – mix of toxins. The findings are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Peyton Jacob III, PhD, a UCSF research chemist, and Neal Benowitz, MD, a UCSF tobacco researcher, both based at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, say hookah use exposes smokers to higher levels of carbon monoxide, especially hazardous to those with heart or respiratory conditions, and to higher levels of benzene, long associated with leukemia risk.
“People want to know if it is a lesser health risk if they switch from cigarettes to smoking a water pipe on a daily basis,” Jacob said. “We found that water-pipe smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking, nor is it likely to be an effective harm-reduction strategy.” And, compared to non-smokers, Benowitz said, “If you are smoking from a hookah daily, you are likely to be at increased risk for cancer.” Click here to read full article