hookah - Popular myth suggests that hookah smoking is considered to be safer than other forms of smoking due to water-filtration. However, several serious negative health effects are still linked to hookah smoking and studies indicate that it is likely to be more harmful to health than cigarettes, due in part to the volume of smoke inhaled. One study found hookah smoke to be both clastogenic and genotoxic for human beings,[7] while another study showed that the CO hazard is as high with hookah smoking as with cigarette smoking.[8] In addition to the cancer risk, there is some risk of infectious disease resulting from pipe sharing, and other harm caused by any addition of alcohol or psychoactive drugs to the tobacco.[9]