Pipes becoming more popular

Sunday, June 11th 2006, 1:06 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Some health officials say they're concerned about the increasing number of hookah bars opening across the metro, many in close proximity to colleges and universities.

``They are ... trying to reach the young adult market, the college-age market,'' said Doug Matheny, health educator for the Oklahoma Health Department. ``Unfortunately, I think that's another example of profits over health.''

Hookah is a fruit-flavored tobacco smoked through an octopus-like water pipe equipped with multiple tubes.

Some health officials argue that smoking hookah is more harmful than smoking cigarettes.

Brian Graham, 29, said he doesn't smoke the tobacco everyday, but enjoys frequenting an Oklahoma City hookah bar occasionally with friends.

``My theory is that it tastes better than regular cigarette smoke, so it's probably worse for you,'' said Graham of Norman. ``But I'm sure quantity comes into play. I doubt if smoking a hookah is the equivalent of two packs of cigarettes.''

The World Health Organization disagrees. WHO says hookah smokers can inhale the equivalent of 100 cigarettes of smoke in a single session.

Health officials hope consumers will resist the allure.

``To me, this isn't unlike the fruit-flavored alcoholic beverages that tend to appeal to young people who may not like the taste of hard liquor,'' Matheny said. ``It makes it easier for them to get started.''

The smoke also contains sufficient levels of nicotine, which causes addiction, Matheny said.

Some studies show that higher levels of carcinogens are found in hookahs than in regular cigarettes, said Thomas Carr, a policy analyst for the American Lung Association.

``The common myth is that water filtration ... takes the chemicals out or makes it less toxic, but that's not true,'' he said.

In a 2005 advisory note about water pipes, WHO said cigarette smokers take about eight to 12 puffs of a cigarette over a 5 to 7-minute period, while hookah smokers take in 50 to 200 puffs over a 20 to 80-minute period_ and the hookah smokers inhale a vastly greater amount of smoke per puff.

The note acknowledges that little focused researched has been done on water pipes, but warns that water pipes are not a ``safe alternative'' to cigarette smoking.