Where do the large amounts of toxic heavy metals in hookah come from?
I've been reading up recently on hookahs (as they are commonly called in North America) and I noticed in a few articles that hookah smoke apparently contains more toxic heavy metals (arsenic, nickel, cobalt, chromium, etc) than cigarette smoke. What causes hookah smoke to have higher concentrations of these metals than cigarette smoke?
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It seems to me that a whole lot would depend on what the "hookah" was constructed of, but it should be obvious that if there are metal parts there would also be metal contaminants. Cigarettes, OTOH, are made of tobacco and paper, and therefore contain only trace metals.
Inasmuch as the most common metals used for such stuff are brass and copper, it would make sense that any toxic heavy metals would either arise from impurities in these, or from the solders that may be used to join them. I don't think the metals you listed would be first on the list though - I'd look for lead, cadmium, etc.
Edit to Thumbs-downer: If you have a better answer, please post it. Assuming the same material is being smoked, the only additional variables in the "hookah" are the metal parts (which I've addressed), the water, and the ceramic/glass components if any. Ceramic glazes could contribute, but I still feel that if the presence of more "heavy metals" is true, they probably come mostly from metal components of the pipe. The water is a separate issue.
www.sharp-smoker.com - Explanation of the electronic cigarette. In this video, I explain the different components of the electronic cigarette. I ...
