Smoking continues
to be a significant public health problem causing 443,000 premature deaths
annually in the United States and 5.4 million worldwide. It is currently the
leading preventable cause of premature death both in the United States (US) and
worldwide, and is projected to remain as such in 2020. Smoking annually coststhe US society approximately $193 billion with $96 billion in direct medicalcosts.
Waterpipe smoking
is a recent form of tobacco use in the US and is growing in popularity
especially among the adolescents and young adults with a misconception of
relative safety and variety of sweetened
flavors. Waterpipe smoking is common in the Middle East, India, and segments of
Asia, and increasingly becoming more prevalent in Western countries .
Waterpipes have been referred to as the following names: Shishah, hookah ,
argeela, Goza, hubble-bubble , and narghile .
The American Lung
Association (ALA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the American Cancer
Society (ACS) have warned against health risks associated with waterpipe
smoking. Similar to cigarettes, it can increase the risk of cancer,
cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and poor fetal outcomes. Furthermore,
using the same mouthpieces in social groups can also spread communicable
diseases .Previous studies have also demonstrated that smoking tobacco using a
waterpipe causes exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), smoke nicotine, as well as carcinogens including
hydrocarbon and heavy metals and tar and can result in nicotine dependence. Read more..............
No comments:
Post a Comment