Feb 22, 2014 12:29 PM EST By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Smoking hookah may be as addictive and harmful as tobacco, according to a recent review Reuters reported.

"The cooled and sweetened flavor of hookah tobacco makes it more enticing to kids and they falsely believe it's less harmful," Tracey E. Barnett from the University of Florida in Gainesville told Reuters.

Barnett, who has studied the recent rise in hookah smoking and is knowledgable of its effects, was not involved in the new review.

"One-time use can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or other diseases, including but not limited to tuberculosis, herpes, respiratory illnesses including the flu, and long-term use can lead to heart disease and many cancers," Barnett said.

The recreational activity has become increasingly common in Europe and the United States. The act ose to prominence on the Indian subcontinent among Hindus in the 15th Century and, after that, spreadedd through the Ottoman Empire, Reuters reported. According to one estimate, about 100 million people worldwide smoke hookah each day.

Although the water-pipe device looks nothing like a cigarette, it is almost always used to smoke tobacco, and as such carries many of the dangers inherent in cigarette smoking.

"While water is a filter, it does not filter out any of the toxins," Barnett said.

The new review, done by Mexican researchers, examines data from several studies on addiction, lung damage and health dangers associated with hookah smoking.

One hookah session typically lasts 20 to 80 minutes and a hookah user may inhale as much smoke during one session as a cigarette smoker would from smoking 100 or more cigarettes, Reuters reported, citing the World Health Organization.

The review authors, led by Dr. Ruben Blachman-Braun of Universidad Anahuac in Huixquilucan, Mexico, said another study found nicotine levels in the urine of daily hookah smokers were equivalent to levels in people smoking 10 cigarettes per day, "more than enough to spark addiction."

Hookah has also been linked to health problems including chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, oral cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease. Pregnancy complications similar to those seen with cigarette smoking have also been reported.

The water-pipe device has also been tied to the hepatitis C virus and herpes from sharing mouthpieces.

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