Hour-long shisha smoking can be harmful

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that one-hour smoking of shisha pipes can be as harmful as smoking 100 cigarettes.

This is because a cigarette smoker typically takes between eight and 12 puffs, inhaling 0.5 to 0.6 litres of smoke, the Daily Mail reported, citing the organization’s findings.

‘Shisha smoking is a growing concern because people aren’t aware of the risks like they are with cigarette smoking,’ Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at University College London was quoted as saying.

‘The greater the exposure in terms of duration and amount smoked, the greater the risk to your health’
That’s because although shisha tobacco tastes nicer than cigarettes, it contains all the same toxicants known to cause lung cancer and heart disease.

Among the risks are heart disease, respiratory problems, lung and mouth cancer and problems during pregnancy.

‘Smoke from tobacco contains a number of carcinogens which damage the DNA in cells,’ said Professor West. ‘Just one damaged cell can divide and multiply uncontrollably and quite quickly develop into a large tumour. This is what causes lung cancer,’ explains Professor West

Enthusiasts claim that as the smoke passes through water most of the harmful chemicals are absorbed, however there is no evidence to support this.

‘If people think it’s safer than cigarettes, when it’s not, they need to be informed otherwise,’ said Professor West.
There are other risks. As the mouthpiece is passed around from person to person, this raises the risk of transmitting diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis.