Carbon monoxide levels in water pipe smokers in rural Laos PDR

摘要

Regional trends indicate that tobacco waterpipe (TWP) smoking is common in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) and is increasing in global popularity.1"4 EMR TWP smokers use a commercially manufactured pipe (figure 1A)5 that is loaded with tobacco and sold in pre-weighed packages of 50 g or more. The EMR TWP user inhales a combination of tobacco and charcoal smoke after it has passed through water. Despite the mistaken belief that the water bath of the EMR TWP filters out harmful and/or addictive components,3 6~8 recent data indicates that EMR TWP smokers are exposed to biologically harmful levels of nicotine, tar, metals, volatile aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds and expired carbon monoxide (CO).9