Smokers at risk from water pipes

Smoking from a water pipe may pose the same health risks as cigarettes, the World Health Organization said last week, adding that there’s a need for more research into the link between hookahs and a number of fatal illnesses.

The hookah, used for centuries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central and South Asia, has become increasingly popular in the West, particularly among college students and young adults. Hookah bars have sprung up in cities across the U.S., and groups of people often visit them to relax and talk.

The WHO, however, warned that using the water pipe to smoke tobacco is “not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking.” In a seven-page document, the U.N. health agency said the rising popularity of hookahs was partly due to “unfounded assumptions” of safety and misleading commercial marketing.