Sorry L.A. Hookah Hipster: That Pipe is Dirty, and Could be Bad for Your Health

By Dennis Romero Tue., Feb. 8 2011 at 3:22 PM

Stay back, Charlie Sheen: It's hook-ah.

Hookahs are everywhere in L.A., second only, perhaps, to the city's ubiquitous pot shops. (Maybe people are practicing).

There's Ali Mama Cafe in Silver Lake and Up In Smoke Hookah Lounge in Sherman Oaks. They're not hard to find.

One of the allures of the hookah (besides practice) is that it's often marketed as a safe alternative to smoking.

But if you've been hitting the hookah, you've probably been a dirty girl:

According to Lance Armstrong's Livestrong, Hookah smoking exposes users to more smoke and more nicotine -- as a result of longer sessions -- than what the average cigarette customer sees.

The smoke is cooled and slightly filtered by water, so hookah fans think they're getting a cleaner draw, but it turns out the bong-like effects could mask more health risks:

"Because hookah smokers are exposed to higher amounts of carcinogens and chemicals, their risks of developing cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease may even be higher than those of cigarette smokers."

But here's the gross part: The sharing of the hookah mouthpiece isn't exactly hygienic, and smokers could even get herpes:

"Smokers who share the mouthpiece on a hookah pipe risk catching a contagious disease from one another. The contagious disease can be a simple cold or flu virus or it can be something more serious, such as herpes."

Now pass the, eh, sanitizer.

Tags:

health, herpes, hipsters, Hollywood, hookah, Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, smoking

We Recommend

Nannie Jolin

There are still better alternatives than these hookas. If you really wanna quit smoking cigarettes and go for safer ones, vaporizers should be considered. It's good for personal use and you don't have to share it with everyone. Just like other vices out there, smoking should still be done with moderation. Never take your health for granted.

Herba-life

Smoking sucks. But we tolerate other cultures. I'd rather they kept it indoors and away from sidewalks, but the law makes it the other way around.

Pippa

Right! yihah!

Jack Driscoll

When you're reporting on health matters, I think it's fair to expect a certain amount of due diligence in researching the claims you are making. As other have said, the reliance on a single Livestrong article that contains no original research is rather weak sauce, as it were. After spending more time digging through actual peer-reviewed scientific literature than you apparently have or than I would have liked, I can safely say that your (re-blogged) claims are highly exaggerated. I'm going to leave it up to you to do the actual research, but Hookah Smoking and ETS ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm... ) reviews a number of the studies cited by the studies cited by the livestrong author whose article you referenced. An even more critical view can be found here ( http://knol.google.com/k/a-cri... ). Now do your homework.

juliarix

About 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday. Maybe this is the reason that why there are more than 680,000 members on the STD dating site pozmingle. Hope all the people take care and find love.

GeneralDisgust

Hookah herpes?! I can always count on the media for hyperbolic fearmongering.

#1 80% of Americans have been exposed to herpes simplex one by the time they're 7 yrs old. It's the virus that causes cold sores.

#2 Although virus particles can be spread through objects, like a hookah or drinking glass, it is extremely rare. Primary route of transmission is kissing.

#3 Are you really going to share a hookah or drinking glass with someone who has a cold sore on their lip?

#4 What kind of idiot "reporter" uses a Lance Armstrong website for disease control information and then doesn't spend even 5 minutes doing some critical thinking about the reliability of the source?

Jimmy James

"#4 What kind of idiot "reporter" uses a Lance Armstrong website for disease control information and then doesn't spend even 5 minutes doing some critical thinking about the reliability of the source? "

Do you really have to ask?

Anonymous

Where has hookah smoking been advertised as a "healthier" alternative to smoking? Any responsible and educated adult is aware that using tobacco products is hazardous to the users' health. Also, if I recall correctly, its a health code violation NOT to provide individual mouthpieces at hookah lounges.