Advertorial: The Hookah/Shisha – Is it a safe option?

By Oldham Community Health Services

The Hookah also known as Shisha has been used to smoke tobacco for about 400 years. It has various other names, one being a water pipe.

It exists in a variety of sizes, shapes and designs. The tobacco used can have one of many different flavours. It is burned using glowing charcoal. The smoke produced is passed though water before being inhaled using a mouthpiece attached to a flexible tube.

Many users believe that smoking tobacco in this way is less harmful than using cigarettes.

This isn’t true.

Using a Hookah/Shisha often happens in a group. Everyone shares the same mouthpiece. This can lead to the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), herpes, hepatitis and other viruses.

A Hookah/Shisha session typically lasts up to one hour. In this time, a smoker will inhale 50 – 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled with one cigarette.

The tobacco used and the smoke produced can cause cancer, heart disease, addiction to nicotine and further health problems. Nicotine is more addictive than heroine and cocaine. Even after it has passed through water, the smoke contains toxic chemicals.

Some of the nicotine stops in the water, but enough of the addictive substance passes through it. This makes hookah smoking at least as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.

Hookah/Shisha smoking is usually a social activity which takes place over a long period of time. Smokers are therefore exposed to greater quantities of toxic chemicals. Risks to health are high.

Many young people are now taking up the use of the water pipe, thinking that is a safer option. Many say they do not inhale deeply. In this way, they think that they are not exposed to high concentrations of harmful substances. In fact, they are exposed to them , and certainly more often than non – smokers.

Smoking using a Hookah/Shisha is definitely not a safe option for tobacco use.

If you want to give up or discuss any tobacco use please contact Oldham Specialist Stop Smoking Service on 0844 873 0032