Water-pipe smoking may lead to cancers, genetic damage, diseases of the lungs and other disease conditions. Many of the studies on these subjects are merely anecdotal or lack the necessary rigorous study design or the power needed to be certain of the results. Given the large number of people who smoke waterpipe and the fact that waterpipe smoking has become a fashionable trend in the Middle East and the Western world among the youth, it is essential to study the health effects of waterpipe smoking with renewed emphasis.