Published online July 1, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 1 July 2005, pp. e113-e119 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-2173)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Knishkowy, B.
Right arrow Articles by Amitai, Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Knishkowy, B.
Right arrow Articles by Amitai, Y.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Water-Pipe (Narghile) Smoking: An Emerging Health Risk Behavior

Barry Knishkowy, MD, MPH and Yona Amitai, MD, MPH

From the Department of Mother, Child and Adolescent Health, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel

Narghile, or water-pipe smoking (WPS), has been practiced extensively for ~400 years. It is common in the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and other countries. In recent years, there has been a revival of WPS, notably among youth. Most US health professionals are unfamiliar with the practice and health consequences of WPS. Therefore, this trend presents a new challenge for adolescent health care providers. The composition of the tobacco used in WPS is variable and not well standardized. Studies that have examined narghile smokers and the aerosol of narghile smoke have reported high concentrations of carbon monoxide, nicotine, "tar," and heavy metals. These concentrations were as high or higher than those among cigarette smokers. The few scientific data regarding the adverse health consequences of WPS point to dangers that are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking: malignancy, impaired pulmonary function, low birth weight, and others. Additional dangers not encountered with cigarette smoking are infectious diseases resulting from pipe sharing and the frequent addition of alcohol or psychoactive drugs to the tobacco. Public health strategies for controlling the emerging epidemic of WPS include carrying out epidemiologic and toxicologic research; implementation of laws to limit acquisition and use; and health education, targeting adolescents in particular.

Key Words: adolescents • cigarettes • health risk behaviors • narghile • nicotine • smoking • tobacco • water pipe

Abbreviations: WPS, water-pipe smoking

Accepted Dec 29, 2004.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Nicotine Tob ResHome page
W. Maziak, S. Rastam, I. Ibrahim, K. D. Ward, A. Shihadeh, and T. Eissenberg
CO exposure, puff topography, and subjective effects in waterpipe tobacco smokers
Nicotine Tob Res, July 1, 2009; 11(7): 806 - 811.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Tobacco ControlHome page
T Baska, I Pudule, N Tilgale, C W Warren, J Lee, V Lea, and N R Jones
Smoking tobacco in waterpipes among adolescents in Europe: the case of Latvia and Slovakia
Tob. Control, December 1, 2008; 17(6): 432 - 432.
[Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Errors in this New Review
Kamal CHAOUACHI
Pediatrics Online, 15 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Water Pipe (Narghile) Smoking: Response to letter by Chaouachi
Barry N Knishkowy, et al.
Pediatrics Online, 14 Sep 2005 [Full text]
Regrettable lack of scientific methodology in studies on WPS
Oliver N.H Clark
Pediatrics Online, 29 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Conflict of Interest on the part of K CHAOUACHI
Matthew P Gelfand
Pediatrics Online, 14 May 2007 [Full text]
Re: Conflict of Interest on the part of K CHAOUACHI
Kamal Chaouachi
Pediatrics Online, 21 May 2007 [Full text]
The absence of dental stains, heat and ‘smoker’s smell’ encourages Waterpipe Smoking
Sebastian Thomas, et al.
Pediatrics Online, 26 Jul 2007 [Full text]