Ladies smoking shisha (Photo/blogspot.co.ke)
Shisha has been banned by the government. Distribution, sale and use will be penalized accordingly in the court of law. This is due to health hazards associated with it. Most shisha smokers in Kenya have various misconceptions about it. Here are common misconceptions about shisha:
Harmless to one’s health
Most people believe shisha smoke is filtered as it passes through water, removing harmful ingredients. This is not true, as passing tobacco smoke through water does not filter out cancer-causing chemicals. The smoke is still dangerous to your heart and lungs.
Shisha smoke doesn’t burn the lungs
Inhaling shisha smoke doesn’t burn the lungs. A cooled smoke is harmless to the lungs. This is not true because the smoke is only cooled through water, but still has all the carcinogens and harmful ingredients that cause damage to the lungs.
Herbal shisha is healthier than regular shisha
Just like smoking herbal or “natural” cigarettes, herbal shisha exposes the smoker to tar and carcinogens. Hence it is as unhealthier to the human body as regular shisha.
Shisha smoking is not addictive
Shisha smokers believe it is not addictive as smoking cigarette. It should be noted that just like cigarettes, shisha also contains nicotine. This is what makes cigarette addictive, and so is shisha.
Smoking shisha is healthier than smoking cigarette
Shisha smoke is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke. Despite the different ways their smoke is generated, all the two contain harmful ingredients that cause damage to human heart and lungs.