It has been a while since I last posted something new due to an extremely hectic schedule over the past few weeks. But here is an article which addresses a trend, especially amongst teenagers and young adults, that is generally considered safe. However research has shown this to be anything but, and the recent death of a high school pupil in Johannesburg from meningitis should ring alarm bells. It is suspected that he got infected from sharing hubbly-bubblies.

Read the article below and educate yourself – at least you can’t say:’ I did not know’.

Hubbly Bubbly May Cause Cancer

On the beach, at the mall, at parties or at picnic spots around the globe, it seems teenagers, adults, surfers, sportsmen, college students and others are using the age-old hubbly-bubbly, hookah, or water pipe, as it is also known, as a form of relaxation and fun, instead of, or in addition to, cigarette smoking. What they don’t realise is that just because they’re not puffing on an actual cigarette, does not mean that they’re immune to cancer.

Originating in India, the hubbly-bubbly was believed to be a safer alternative to cigarette smoking because the smoke passes through water. This is a misconception however, and the use of the hubbly-bubbly has proved to be even more harmful than other common forms of smoking. According to the website of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA): ‘A typical one-hour-long water-pipe smoking session involves inhaling 100 – 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after the smoke has passed through the water, it still contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, tar, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals.’ The website continues: ‘The smoke that emerges from a water-pipe contains numerous toxins known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases. While water does absorb some of the nicotine, water-pipe smokers can be exposed to sufficient doses of this drug to cause addiction, making trying to quit the habit difficult’.

(by Cindy Nicolson, Health Product Guide, June/July 2012, Issue 4)

Further reading & Source:

 

http://www.cansa.org.za/hubbly-bubbly-sounds-cool-but-its-dangerous-and-addictive/

 

 

http://www.cansa.org.za/hubbly-bubblies-hookahs-narghiles-waterpipes/