Does the Bubbler Scrub Key Toxicants from Waterpipe Tobacco Smoke?: Measurements and Modeling of CO, NO, PAH, Nicotine, and Particulate Matter Uptake

Waterpipe tobacco smoking is a global epidemic. A persistent perception among users is that the water bubbler filters the smoke, reducing its risk profile. The objectives of this study were to quantify the purported filtering effect by comparing toxicant yield when a waterpipe was machine smoked with and without the smoke passing through the water bubbler. We found that the water bubbler did not reduce CO, NO, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), or dry particulate matter (DPM) yields but did reduce nicotine and carbonyl compounds (CCs) yields by approximately 50%. These mixed results were consistent with theoretical simulations of the mass transport processes involved.