Is Pipe Smoking Bad for You? Here’s How It Affects Your Health

You’ve likely heard that smoking cigarettes raises your risk for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, but what about pipe smoking? Like cigarettes, smoking a pipe can have serious health consequences. Here, experts discuss the similarities and differences between pipe and cigarette smoking and how tobacco use increases your risk for several diseases. You’ll also discover some scientifically sound tips for kicking your tobacco habit. What is pipe smoking? According to the National Center for Health Research (NCHR), pipe smoking uses fire-cured loose-leaf tobacco that is burned (lit) in a bowl. Cigarette smoking is similar and also uses loose-leaf tobacco, but it’s rolled in paper and burned. The University of Rochester Medical Center explains that whenever tobacco is burned, whether in a pipe or a cigarette, it releases poisons and harmful toxins such as: Cyanide Lead Arsenic Carbon monoxide Nicotine Tar Smoking a hookah or water pipe isn’t safe, either, according to the Mayo Clinic, because it contains tobacco that’s no less harmful to your health than cigarettes. Pipe smoking effects on your health There are thousands of chemicals in tobacco smoke — including at least 70 that are known to cause cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. For...