The rising popularity of hookahs in restaurants and homes has health officials concerned about the health risks associated with the smoking device. Evidence suggests that puffing the ornate water pipes, popular in the Middle East, is at least as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. \"It\'s a growing threat for our state, for Michigan, and down the road will mean higher health care costs as (users) develop the diseases that come from smoking,\" said Virginia Hill Rice, a professor at the College of Nursing. The hookah, experts say, contains dangerous amounts of nicotine, tar and heavy metals, which can lead to life-threatening health problems such as lung cancer.