The Deadly One........

By a staff reporter

4 November 2006


DUBAI — Tobacco contains more than 4,000 different chemicals and toxins, many of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing).

Whether tobacco is smoked in a pipe, cigarette or cigar, or is chewed in the mouth, it is still potentially deadly. The World Health Organisation's slogan this year was 'Tobacco: Deadly in any form or disguise'.

Tobacco is the only product in the world that kills half of its persistent users when used exactly as intended. Extra Strong, Strong, Lights, Ultra Lights, all cigarette brands come with different names but are 'Lights' or 'Ultra Lights' any less damaging than 'stronger' cigarettes, or is it just perception?

Said Dr Ibrahim Jaber, from the Ministry of Health Quit Smoking Clinic in Sharjah, "The tar is bad for you, and the nicotine keeps you addicted. There are a few people who claim the Lights and the Ultra Lights contain less nicotine and tar. But in reality they still contain the same chemicals and toxins as the normal cigarettes. There are strong arguments that to create light cigarettes, tobacco companies simply change the design of some cigarettes so they produce fewer toxins when tested by machines in government laboratories."

"One method of cigarette manufacturers is to put tiny holes (vents) in the filters so that the when the governments testing machines are sucking in on the cigarette, fresh air is inhaled through the holes as well as the cigarette smoke," say experts.

The most toxic compounds in cigarette smoke comes from tobacco, not from additives. The risk of lung cancer is no different in people who smoke medium-tar, low-tar or very low-tar cigarettes, concludes a study that was published on January 10, 2006 in the British Medical Journal.

When people smoke "light" cigarettes, they consequently adjust their smoking technique. Often, subconsciously, they puff more quickly and breathe in deeper. Many smokers also involuntarily cover the holes in the filters with their fingers, in effect turning their light cigarettes back into regular cigarettes.

At the end, they get their full dose of nicotine, along with carbon monoxide, tar, and all of the other chemicals and toxins. "The truth is people don't smoke because they choose to; they smoke because of an addiction to the nicotine," added Dr Jaber. In a recent case in the United States, a federal judge denied a request by tobacco companies to let them keep marketing "light" and "low tar" cigarettes until an appeal is settled in the case. The judge ruled in August that the cigarette makers violated racketeering laws and misled the public about the health consequences of smoking.

In many countries including Australia, cigarette box labels have already been changed and now have 'Original', 'Fine', 'Smooth', 'Finesse' and other similar names to give a misleading impression to the consumers.

If people are worried about the dangers of regular cigarettes, going 'light' is not the answer. Fundamentally, the person needs to quit and the sooner the better.

The only safe cigarettes are the ones that don't get smoked.

Man, what do they say about sheesha? I hear so much about it, but am trying not to try it.

I think if its harmful or intoxicating, its bad...right? Or am i thinking about Hookah? or is it the same? lool

whats hookah?

hookah is also pipe, except what you smoke is just flavored water. Well i dunno if they use nethin else, thats originally what it is.

Tayyaba said:

hookah is also pipe, except what you smoke is just flavored water. Well i dunno if they use nethin else, thats originally what it is.

Click to expand...

The hookah uses tobacco, the smoke is passed through flavored water. Although in some countries the preference is to use brandy instead of flavored water.

I won't go into my personal final results of smoking. I will only say I have an over 50 year history of heavy cigarette smoking. I will tell anyone if you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke QUIT.

Smoking carries a very high painful price with it. I will say from experience, YOU DO NOT WANT TO PAY THE PRICE

Really? lol my parents said thats how they use it in Pakistan. We usually say "Hookah Pani." Pani means water...
Not sayin my parents used it or nethin. But I agree with you, shouldnt use it PERIOD

A hookah is constructed from four fundamental components:

the base, vase, or smoke chamber, which is partially filled with water
the bowl or head, which contains the tobacco; the heating apparatus is placed on top
the pipe or stem which connects the bowl to the base by a tube that descends into the water
the hose, which connects to a second tube in the pipe that does not descend into the water, but only the air of the smoke chamber
These basic parts do not vary in function; naturally, there are any number of decorations or subtle variations in form. The heating apparatus is usually charcoal, but in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, electric heaters are common. The charcoal is usually placed on a metal mesh or perforated aluminium foil, but these are often omitted to produce a denser smoke. The hose may or may not be detachable — simple hookahs simply have a tube into the air of the smoke chamber; elaborate hookahs have three or more hoses in a single chamber, sometimes with filters attached at one or both ends of the hose. Traditionally, hookahs have been ornately decorated. Some modern hookahs bear little resemblance to older designs.

When a smoker inhales through the tube, a pressure difference forces air past the coal, heating the tobacco, which gives off smoke. The smoke is pulled down from the tobacco, and bubbles up through the water into the air of the smoke chamber. From there, it is drawn through the hose and inhaled by the smoker. Passing through the water partially filters tar and particulates from the tobacco smoke in addition to cooling it.

The design of a hookah allows for multiple hoses to lead to a single filtration chamber; this simplifies use by groups. Multiple hoses can, however, reduce suction and makes drawing smoke difficult or impossible. Some hookahs incorporate a ball-bearing check valve into each hose to combat this problem, while others require smokers to block the mouthpiece with their finger when not in use. Multi-hose hookahs are particularly popular in the Western world, where hookah smoking is a social phenomenon. They are not as common in Asia and Africa.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

They are quite popular here in the States now. Although the people using them are often from the drug culture and they often use various drugs instead of tobacco.


Getting away from Hookahs:

Tobacco is dangerous no matter how a person uses it.