Hookah bars now seem as common as Dominos in college neighborhoods. In recent years, studies have found that one in three students uses the ancient tobacco pipes, and that use among college women is on the rise inhale on a hookah hose by the end of freshman year.But those undergrads may not entirely understand the potential side effects of what they're inhaling: A recent study also found that 27 percent of college students believed hookahs did not contain tobacco and 38 percent thought what they were smoking did not contain nicotine (wrong on both accounts). The CDC warns that hookah smoking "is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes" and "carries many of the same risks." They point out, for instance, that a typical hookah session involves inhaling about 90,000 milliliters of smoke, versus the 500 to 600 milliliters you inhale when smoking a single cigarette. This has done little to stop an increasing number of young people from smoking the flavored tobacco with their circles of friends.The increase in popularity of hookahs has created a market for simpler heating sources for the pipes, which are traditionally heated by placing small chunks of hot charcoal near gooey tobacco. One of these methods involves the use of electronic heating disks and pads, which are now sold in head shops.Continue reading on Tonic.