Patrons with shisha at Flamingo hotel Mombasa.(Photo/Star.co.ke)
The recent ban on shisha smoking by Health CS Cleopha Mailu undoubtedly dealt a big blow to businessmen who dealt in the product.
However, many people still don't know about shisha- which is vaporized and flavored tobacco. Here are 5 things you may not know about shisha.
Some experts believe that one shisha session is as bad as smoking 100-200 cigarettes
Smoking shisha is like breathing second-hand cigarette smoke through a water pipe. Estimated findings by the World Health Organisation show that, on average, a smoker will inhale half a litre of smoke per cigarette, while a shisha smoker can take in anything from just under a sixth of a litre to a litre of smoke per inhale.
Shisha contains more carbon monoxide than cigarette
Shisha contains carbon monoxide (CO) in amounts equal to or greater than that from cigarettes. CO replaces oxygen on red blood cells, making it harder for the body to deliver oxygen to vital organs which can later lead to organ damage.
Shisha smoking has cancer-causing substance
Smoking Shisha contains significant amounts of nicotine, levels of costic compounds such as tar, carbon monoxide (car exhaust), heavy metals like cobalt, and lead; and a host of cancer-causing chemicals.
Charcoal in Shisha increased the risk of diseases
Unlike cigarettes, Shisha smoke may also contain charcoal or wood cinder combustion products from the heat source used to burn the tobacco, increasing the cancer-causing agents in the smoke. Apart from the harmful effect of the chemical, the end product produced by the charcoal only intensifies the damage it can cause to the body.
Shisha can spread infectious diseases
Other health risk includes the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, herpes, and hepatitis. Viral infections can be transmitted through the sharing of the same mouthpiece; a common custom in many cultures.