A new study found that smoking hookah or exposure to its smoke increases one's risk of developing leukemia.
Researchers at the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health at San Diego State University found that fumes from the water pipes contain benzene, a widely-used compound in the chemical industry that can cause serious poisoning if exposed to it for long periods of time.
The team examined the urine samples of 105 hookah smokers and 103 non-smokers (but were exposed to the smoke) to see if they could find traces of S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), the by-product of benzene. The analysis showed that the hookah smokers' SPMA levels were four times higher than normal, while the non-smokers' levels became 2.6 times higher after visiting a hookah lounge, according to Healthday News.
"In contrast to what is believed, hookah tobacco smoking is not a safe alternative to smoking other forms of tobacco," study author Nada Kassem, associate director of the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health at San Diego State University, said in a news release.
"In addition to inhaling toxicants and carcinogens found in the hookah tobacco smoke, hookah smokers and nonsmokers who socialize with hookah smokers also inhale large quantities of charcoal combustion-generated toxic and carcinogenic emissions," she said.
Earlier studies showed a link between benzene and acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The toxin is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which means that there is no safe level of exposure to the chemical, LiveScience reported.
Researchers recommended that health care providers should remind their patients about the dangers of hookah smoking, and they should limit their exposure to it, even at home.
This new study was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
