Comparison of Tobacco-Containing and Tobacco-Free Waterpipe Products: Effects on Human Alveolar Cells

Abstract

Tobacco-free and tobacco-based waterpipe products exert substantial and similar deleterious effects on human lung cells. This study adds to the nascent evidence base indicating that except for exposure to nicotine and its derivatives, use of tobacco-free waterpipe products does not present a reduced health risk relative to the use of conventional tobacco-based products.