What is pipe tobacco made of and is it harmful?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with MSc.BS Nguyen Huy Nhat - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Waterpipe smoke contains dangerous factors that cause myocardial infarction and adversely affects circulation, respiration, intestinal tract and excretory system of active and passive smokers.

1. What is pipe tobacco?

Waterpipe tobacco, scientifically known as Nicotiana rustica L, is a species of plant in the genus Nicotiana, family Solanaceae. This species has a very high nicotine content. Its leaves are not only used for smoking, but also widely used in the production of organic pesticides. Herbaceous plant, growing all year round, about 1m high, lower than tobacco.
In Vietnam, pipe tobacco is grown mainly for smoking according to the custom of the Vietnamese people in the delta, northern midland to Deo Ngang (Quang Binh province) and ethnic minorities from the northern mountainous region to the west. Thanh Hoa - Nghe An. Later, it was widely grown everywhere, but only a few areas are considered for famous water pipe products such as Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa. In addition, pipe tobacco is also used as an additive when eating betel nut.

2. What is pipe tobacco made from?

Waterpipe tobacco after planting and harvesting is mainly processed manually, the leaves are washed, cleaned, then sliced, chopped, dried and then glued to facilitate the making of cakes. Pipe smoking using a tool called a cigarette, there are 3 main types of cigarettes:
Plow pipe: a tubular body (made of bamboo, cork, light metal) about 40-60cm long, one end of the body must be closed so that the body can be closed. The cigarette can hold water, the other end is open for smoking. The position near the closed end of the cigarette body is drilled a hole called the cigarette socket to put the pipe tobacco in. Dieu bowl: consists of a bowl (of ceramic, porcelain) which is a place to store water, and the pot is installed at the top. The bowl is not convenient to carry, so it is often used to smoke at home. Silver-engraved pipe also known as dong cigarette: similar to a plow but shorter and larger, made of precious wood, animal bones or ivory... This type of cigarette is now almost no longer used for smoking. pipe tobacco again. In addition, when there are no cigarettes available, people can use banana leaves, rolled up paper, and take a sip of water to be able to smoke pipe tobacco.
The pipe tobacco is rolled into a ring the size of a little finger and inserted into the pot. Then use fire to burn the cigarette to create smoke and use the mouth to smoke. In addition to smoking, pipe tobacco is also used for chewing like in the case of betel nut. When chewed separately, it is called a drug and the person "eating" will hold a pinch of dry waterpipe tobacco in the mouth, sandwiched between the teeth and cheeks, sometimes chewing to extract the water, but actually do not swallow the residue.

3. Is pipe tobacco harmful?

Waterpipe smoke contains dangerous factors that cause myocardial infarction and adversely affects circulation, respiration, intestinal tract and excretory system of active and passive smokers. Pipe smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), angina, and heart attack. , cerebrovascular accident ...
People who regularly breathe in pipe tobacco smoke released by other people also have a higher rate of these diseases than other people. Waterpipe tobacco is also addictive, creating a feeling of loss of appetite
Waterpipe smoke is often partially filtered through the water in the cigarette, but very soon the cigarette juice will be saturated and can no longer hold nicotine. One drop of nicotine is enough to kill a horse so the toxins in pipe smoke such as nicotine and carbon oxide gradually build up and leave marks on the blood vessel walls causing the arteries to narrow and possibly clog. does not allow blood circulation. This affects people around who are forced to inhale the toxic substances of secondhand smoke.

In addition, the feeling of being drunk is so strong that new smokers often lose their balance, if a smoker's sitting posture is not stable, it is easy to fall. In addition, pipe smokers can also foam at the mouth, hang out, writhe... If drunk with water pipe without a sober person beside them, it can also lead to death because the drunk can't control himself. be his behavior.
When you see someone who is sick with waterpipe tobacco, you need to let them lie down in a cool place, then slowly help them up, give them water little by little so that they slowly wake up. If convulsions occur, foaming at the mouth, no sign of the end of the drug addiction, they should quickly take them to the nearest medical facility for emergency.

4. Is pipe tobacco as harmful as tobacco?

Waterpipe tobacco has a nicotine content of about 9%, much higher than that of ordinary cigarettes (about 1-3%). Whether smoking pipe or tobacco is harmful to the health of the smoker himself and those around him. Both of these drugs lead to the risk of lung cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, heart attack...
For pipe tobacco, the same harms as tobacco, causing respiratory diseases, including cancer for active and passive smokers. In addition, waterpipe tobacco also has toxic substances, mainly nicotine, with variable content, possibly up to 16%. When burned, it produces 56 different poisons, of which the most dangerous is benzopyrene. In pipe smoke, there is a lot of polonium-20 that emits alpha particles. As for smoking, this is the leading cause of premature death worldwide, causing about 25 different diseases for smokers, including many dangerous diseases such as cancer, heart cardiovascular, respiratory and reproductive health effects. In general, in the world, tobacco causes 90% of lung cancer cases ... The latest findings of US scientists have just been published, showing that there are up to 7,000 harmful substances contained in cigarette smoke, including cigarette smoke. There are 70 substances that are carcinogenic.
Thus, it can be affirmed that pipe tobacco and tobacco are both dangerous killers, without a knife because it contains a lot of toxins. As for determining which drug is more toxic, it completely depends on the group of subjects who use it more or less.

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