Investigating the Microbial Contamination of Hookah Mouth Tips in Bandar Abbas City, Iran

Background: Hookah smoking is now increasing and has become a serious public health warning worldwide. Hookah smoking has led to the transmission of infectious diseases. This study investigates the microbial contamination of hookah mouth tips in Bandar Abbas City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Bandar Abbas City, Iran. The hookah mouth tip samples were obtained from various hookah supply centers and the Ultersnap U device measured the microbial load of hookah mouth tips. The microbial load ranks were divided into three categories. Meanwhile, data analysis was done using the SPSS software, version 26. Results: The highest contamination tips were observed in the beach boulevard (Saheli-Blv), where vendors operate. In three parks, namely Park-e-Ghadir, Park-e-Dowlat, and 13-Hektar, one contaminated hookah mouth tip was observed in each station. A significant difference was observed between the stations in both clean and warning levels; however, this difference was not significant in the contaminated level (P˃0.05). The highest level of contamination was observed in the guild of peddlers. A significant difference was also observed between the guilds in both clean and warning levels, but this difference was not significant in the contaminated level (P˃0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that a significant number of hookah mouth tips were in warning and contaminated levels. The highest number of contaminated hookah mouth tips were observed in the peddlers guild, which is strongly recommended to collect and prevent their inactivity, especially in public places. In addition, health warnings should be posted on all tobacco products and the environment of smoking and or cafes.