Hookah smoke vs cigarette smoke.

I just recently decided to quit smoking cigarettes after two years going a pack a day. I've had a hookah for about a year and smoke it on ocassion and I'm going to continue smoking that. I was just curious if anyone has any knowledge about how it compares to cigarette smoke. I've found some information on the internet, most of it conflicting and vague.

"Technically speaking yes its unhealthy, although only negligibly. The water takes away approximately 90% of the harmful chemicals (excluding THC), and so a pipe contains merely 0.5% nicotine and 0% tar."

and

"Some people think hookahs deliver less tar and nicotine than cigarettes and have fewer health consequences because the smoke is filtered by the water ... Not true

Initial research indicates hookahs can increase carbon dioxide and nicotine exposure, speed up heart rate, and may contribute to heart disease and cancer."

...What % nicotine is in an average cigarette? It doesn't take "research" to find out that smoking hookah increases carbon dioxide and nicotine exposure, but is smoking hookah regularly as bad as smoking cigarettes?