Shisha smoking proves to be more harmful over cigarette [Photo/liveofofo.com]
Concerns have been raised over the rising number of youths smoking shisha especially in urban and semi-urban centres in the country. Shisha smoking is quickly becoming a first-choice leisure activity for more and more young people.
Even as experts and stakeholders ponder on the way forward to taming the practice, a new report indicates Shisha has more lethal side effects to users over cigarette.
The average shisha-smoking session lasts an hour and research has shown that in this time you can inhale the same amount of smoke as from more than 100 cigarettes.
As reported by The Star, the most dreadful facts about the smoke from the waterpipe are here:
Flavoured tobacco is smoked over coals and fumes from these fuels add new toxins to the already dangerous smoke. The smoke contains high levels of toxic compounds, including nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). The daily divulges that Shisha smokers are exposed to more carbon monoxide and smoke than are cigarette smokers. Livestrong.com states a shisha session can involve inhalation of up to 6.5 times the carbon monoxide and 46.4 times the tar as smoking a single cigarette.
Shisha smokers inhale up to 200 times more smoke in a single Shisha session than from a cigarette.
Its social acceptance has resulted in high levels of second hand smoke thus posing dangers associated with second hand smoke (CO). Second hand smoke from shisha contains tobacco smoke as well as smoke from the coals and exposes non-smokers to the same toxic compounds that smokers are exposed to.
As with cigarettes, Shisha smoking is linked to lung and oral cancers, heart disease and other serious illnesses.
It delivers about the same amount of nicotine as cigarette smoking does, possibly leading to tobacco dependence.
Shisha smoking by pregnant women can result in low birth weight babies. Besides, smoking Shisha can raise the risk of premature labour, stillbirth and other complications.
The pipes used in Shisha bars and cafes may not be cleaned properly, risking the spread of infectious diseases such as T.B and Hepatitis.
Shisha flavours can easily be laced with hard drugs sometimes without the knowledge of the smoker.