Shisha less hazardous than cigarette is a misconception: Study
POSTED August 24, 2009 - 13:52 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on August 24, 2009 - 15:30
If the findings of the new research are anything to go by, smoking shisha produced carbon monoxide levels at least four to five times higher than what a cigarette produces.
It is an established fact that elevated levels of carbon monoxide can result in brain damage and unconsciousness.
Since shisha entails using a pipe which could be shared at times with other users, the risk of passing infections gets heightened. Likewise, the risk of getting TB and herpes also increase.
Eye opener
The findings should make those people who regard shisha "as not even smoking" sit back and think twice before going in for the next puff.
The misconception is so deep rooted that many people find it perfectly acceptable to visit "shisha evenings" as they consider it a safer substitute to smoking cigarettes.
"If my mum sees me smoking shisha, she isn't going to take it as seriously as if I was smoking cigarettes," said a British Pakistani man.
The alarming findings
Dr. Hilary Wareing, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research, was shocked at the findings of the study and said, “Our mouths opened at the level of harm - none of the tests we did showed anything other than shisha is hazardous to health."
Wareing said of the findings, "We found one session of smoking shisha - that's 10 milligrams for 30 minutes - gave carbon monoxide levels that were at the lowest four and five times as high as having a cigarette. But at the worst, shisha was 400 to 450 times more dangerous than having a cigarette."
Shisha or Hookah
Shisha, also known as Hookah, is a single or multi-stemmed, invariably glass-based water pipe for smoking. The shisha uses fruit-scented tobacco burnt with the help of coal, passed through an ornate water vessel and inhaled through a hose. Users often use the shisha to inhale herbal fruits and tobacco.
Having its origin in India, the hookah is becoming very popular in the Middle East, USA, UK and Canada. As on date, Egypt, Iran and Turkey are leading the way when it comes to the best quality and most extravagant hookah pipes.
