6 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 8 Number 6


Why the Popular Trend of Smoking Hookas Has One Doctor Alarmed


Turned Down FROM PAGE 1


about the services that report on their bank account activity,” noted Keith Ernst, an Associate Director of the FDIC’s Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection in charge of consumer research. “So, when people are denied the opportunity to open a new deposit account, often they are surprised to learn that negative information about a past checking account can be shared.”


Here are suggestions if you are unable to open a new account.


Ask the institution to reconsider


Pictured above: As more young people try hookah smoking, health officials urge them to keep in mind it's just as dangerous as cigarettes. Credit: Reuters.


BY DAVID LEVEILLE Basim Dubaybo, associate


chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, says you don't have to look far to spot the worrisome health trend.


"If you come to Michigan and


drive along Warren Street in Dearborn, you're going to find multiple hookah lounges that did not exist several years ago," he says. "If you go outside Dearborn, Dearborn being the area of Detroit metro where most of the Middle Easterners live, you will find hookah lounges sprouting up all over the place."


Dubaybo says the new shisha


clubs near Detroit are increasingly popular and they don't discriminate: they've become social gathering places attracting young Arab Americans as well as Americans of European descent, and African Americans. He says the increasing popularity of the hookah is worrying.


"I'm alarmed by this explosion,


because hookah smoking is perceived by many as not as risky as cigarettes, while in fact, the data show on the contrary, it's even riskier. The risk of developing systemic diseases from hookah are even more extensive than cigarette smoking."


That comparison to cigarettes may


be surprising to many young people who believe that inhaling smoke that's cooled by a waterpipe isn't as harmful as smoking cigarette tobacco. Wrong.


Dubaybo, a pulmonologist, says


there are several misconceptions out there about smoking hookah.


"The two big ones are that when


you run the smoke through the reservoir, that it's going to become cooler and that as the smoke is bubbled through the water reservoir, that many of the toxins are going to be filtered out," he says. "But both of these are fallacies. Basically these toxins are not water soluable and will not be absorbed in the water reservoir.


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into the soil. “Usually, the rains soften the


soil. It’s a pre-planting step that nature usually takes care of and allows for planting,” she said.


Now Teressi, who relies on


groundwater to irrigate her crops, has to spend more money to pump water.


Teressi says growers are being


more selective about the crops they are planting. She sells her produce at


On the contrary. Dubaybo says


the very act of smoking hookah, what you're doing is you're sucking smoke from the tobacco which is located more than a meter away.


"So the act of sucking through


this long distance requires a lot of effort and the inhallation is actually very, very deep compared to cigarette smoking, where you can get the smoke with minimum inhalation. The act of smoking hookah, or shisha, requires a lot of effort and deep inhalation resulting in deposition of the smoke deep in the lungs, in areas that are going to be very fragile and easily inflamed," he says.


It's a tough message to get across


says Dubaybo, especially to young people because smoking shisha is socially acceptable. People perceive it as safe.


"Even in the Middle East you'll


find young people may smoke shisha in front of their parents while they may not even smoke cigarettes in front of their parents. So I don't have any illusions that raising awareness is going to be a lengthy process."


Dubaybo says a recent warning


from the Center for Disease Control is helping to educate people about the health hazards of hookah smoking. "Smoking one session of hookah is the equivalent of inhaling the smoke of between 100 to 200 cigarettes," he says.


As for those who may dismiss


that health warning, Dubabyo says he's determined to try to have an impact.


"We have pictures that show


damaged lungs, we have data that show the increased incidence of heart disease," he says. "If I show them some compassion because smoking is really an addiction, and many people treat smokers as fiends, as criminals, but they are really patients who are addicted to nicoteine, so by a combination of compassion, education, and showing the data, I think we can make progress."


farmers markets throughout the Bay Area. She says she’s had to increase her prices by 20 percent.


She’s already had to adapt to drier


farming conditions, including adopting more “dry farming” on crops such as tomatoes. She says the technique involves “minimizing water” and “stressing” the plant.


“You lose tonnage and yield, but


you increase quality and flavor,” she said.


“I do it all the time. The earth is


getting drier and it’s my own way of trying to adapt.”


its denial of a new account. “Every bank decides for itself how to evaluate the information in a consumer’s report,” added Ernst. “While banks might use information from a reporting service to make a decision, the service itself does not approve or reject account applications, so you might be successful in getting the institution to reconsider its decision and allow you to open an account.”


Review your report and dispute


incorrect information. If the bank used a report from a reporting service in deciding not to open a deposit account, it must tell you the name and contact information for the company. “If some information is wrong, getting it corrected may enable you to open a new account when you otherwise couldn’t,” explained Tracie Greenway Morris, an Acting Community Affairs Specialist at the FDIC.


Most likely, the report would


be from one of the two major companies that track this type of checking account-related information: ChexSystems (www.consumerdebit. com/consumerinfo/us/en/freereport. htm or 1-800-428-9623) or Early Warning Services (www.earlywarning. com/consumer-information.html or 1-800-325-7775).


Under the FCRA, you are entitled


to one free copy of your report every 12 months and any time that a report is used against you, such as an “adverse action” when your application is denied. You have a right to dispute any information in the report that is incomplete or inaccurate. Negative information in a report may include checks written without sufficient funds in the bank account, accounts closed with negative balances (fees owed to a bank), and transactions considered potentially fraudulent. Merchants may also report to these services any “bad” checks that you write to them — those that are returned unpaid by your bank.


The reporting services also must


provide guidance on how to dispute the information. Generally, you should inform the reporting agencies, in writing, about information that is inaccurate, and provide copies of any available supporting documentation. “While supplying evidence can be helpful, it is not required. You can still dispute negative information in your report without it,” advised Ernst.


Be aware that when you contact a


consumer reporting agency for a free copy of your report, the company may try to sell you other products, such as a numeric “score” based on the information in your report. Remember that you are not required to purchase any product for a free copy of your report.


For help with a question or


complaint regarding a consumer reporting agency (checking or credit),


February 2014


start with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at www.consumerfi- nance.gov or 1-855-411-2372.


Look into “second chance”


accounts. A closed account in your history doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get another checking or savings account. “An FDIC survey indicates that one in four banks offers accounts that give an option to some consumers unable to open a regular checking account,” said Luke W. Reynolds, Chief of the FDIC’s Outreach and Program Development Section.


Second chance accounts generally


have higher fees and more restrictions than traditional accounts but are still less expensive and more convenient than the alternatives of paying check-cashing and money-order fees.


Possible restrictions include:


a lower dollar limit on daily withdrawals; deposits of only “official” checks, such as cashier’s checks or money orders; requirements to open and manage a savings account for several months before you can have a checking account; and only allowing debit card transactions, which can limit withdrawals to the balance in your account (i.e., overdrafts are not allowed).


Some institutions also may


require you to attend free financial- management training. Even if they do not, you could consider using the online version of the FDIC’s “Money Smart” financial education curriculum to learn about selecting and managing a checking account effectively. Start at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/ moneysmart/mscbi/mscbi.html.


Institutions also may be less


likely to allow you to open a checking account within a year after your account was closed due to overdrafts, suspected fraud or certain other issues. But if you owed a balance at your previous institution and have paid it in full, the new institution could be more willing to open a new account for you sooner.


Avoid scams. Be on guard


against fraud artists and unscrupulous companies that offer to “repair” or “erase” your checking account (or credit) history, particularly if they charge a fee and “guarantee” a specific result. “If the history of a closed account is accurate, the reporting services are under no obligation to remove that information,” cautioned Reynolds. “The account closing will remain in their files for up to seven years unless the bank or credit union that supplied that information asks that it be removed or there is a reason to do so under the law.”


In general, think twice before


paying for something that you can do at little or no cost on your own or with the help of a reputable counselor.


Final Thoughts Once you obtain a new account,


arrange to have money automatically transferred from savings to checking to cover overdrafts. And, develop a strategy based on what works best for you, perhaps one using smartphone technology, to know your account balance before you use your debit card or write a check.


“These days information is being


collected, legally, on many aspects of our lives, and bank transactions are no exception,” Morris said. “Missteps or misinformation can jeopardize your ability to retain or acquire a bank account. So, bank carefully and know your options if a problem should arise.”


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