pipe and cigar smokers often wave off worries that smoking is bad for their health. they claim their habit is harmless and perpetuate the common misperception that pipes and cigars are somehow safer than cigarettes. in reality these tobacco products carry the same health risks -- and sometimes even greater risks -- than cigarettes. cigars and pipes differ in design from cigarettes which are made from tobacco wrapped in thin paper. cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaves and unlike cigarettes they don't typically have filters. in pipes the tobacco sits in a bowl at the end and a stem connects the bowl to the mouthpiece. pipes can be equipped with filters. another type of pipe the water pipe consists of a body filled with water a bowl in which the tobacco is placed and an attached tube and mouthpiece through which the pipe is smoked. water pipes or hookahs originated in ancient persia and india about 400 years ago and are still popular today. hookahs are filled with fragrant tobaccos in a variety of flavors such as cherry apple or mint.
what is the difference between smoking a pipe a cigar or cigarettes?