When smoking a hookah, a high concentration of carbon monoxide and other toxic substances is released, which can lead to poisoning. In addition, hookah does not help to quit smoking cigarettes. This was reported to the Moscow City News Agency by the doctor-psychotherapist of the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco and Non-Chemical Addictions of the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Narcology of the Moscow Health Department, Candidate of Medical Sciences Valery Lykov.
“There is a myth that you can quit smoking, but sometimes, once a week, you can use a hookah. First, when tobacco burns in a hookah, a high concentration of carbon monoxide and other toxic substances is formed, affecting almost all organs and systems of the body. Secondly, if a person uses a hookah, then he has not quit smoking. The addiction persists. There are nicotine-free hookah recipes, but they are for beginners or teenagers to create the illusion of safety. The person who uses this aims to achieve an altered state of consciousness, and only a few can use nicotine-free formulations as a memory of the past, but there are only a few of them,”Lykov said.
The doctor also warned against using e-cigarettes due to the risk of getting high doses of nicotine.
“When we talk about smoking a cigarette - it’s a few minutes, it burned out - the process is over. When we talk about an electronic cigarette, a person can get carried away, and until he smokes the entire cartridge, he does not stop. As a result, his nicotine level is much higher than when smoking regular cigarettes,”explained Lykov.
In addition, he recalled the content in electronic cigarettes of additives that have toxic, inflammatory, irritating and allergic effects on the respiratory system and other internal organs.
On October 31, 2020, amendments to the law "On protecting the health of citizens from exposure to second hand tobacco smoke and the consequences of tobacco consumption" come into force. According to the new amendments, the use of electronic cigarettes, vapes and hookahs is equated to tobacco smoking and is prohibited in public places.