Many people incorrectly believe that smoking shisha is less harmful to your body than other tobacco products, such as cigarettes. Maybe this misconception comes due to the flavoured tobacco and the way it passes through water in the pipe. Shisha smoking can appear to be a peaceful, relaxing habit, yet the truth is that shisha smoking is just as harmful as cigarette smoking, possibly even more harmful.
The carcinogens and nicotine that are present in shisha are the same as in cigarettes. Therefore, a regular shisha smoker risks the same health issues that cigarette smokers face, whether that’s respiratory issues, heart disease or cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the volume of smoke inhaled in a one hour shisha session is equivalent to smoking more than 100 cigarettes.
The WHO’s research also states that a smoker may inhale more tobacco smoke in one breath from a shisha pipe than they would smoking an entire cigarette. Smokers typically spend far longer smoking a shisha pipe than a cigarette and they also inhale longer, deeper breaths, resulting in a greater amount of smoke and toxins being inhaled.
Other studies have shown that just one shisha session is equivalent to smoking as many as 40 cigarettes. For every shisha smoked, the smoker inhales about 800 milligrams of tar compared to 22.3 milligrams in a cigarette.
Another point to note is that it may not be only the tobacco and nicotine in shisha that cause harm. The charcoal and aluminum foil used in burning the tobacco produce high levels of carbon monoxide and heavy metals that can also harm your body.
Contributed by Hamad Medical Corporation
