Shisha: Know the facts

KNOW THE FACTS Smoking Shisha comes with many risks and dangers, know the facts. Are you sure it’s worth trying?

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WHAT IS SHISHA? Shisha is flavoured tobacco. It is smoked through a long pipe which is connected to a container filled with water. Shisha has become stylish amoungst young people, with the number of specialist bars rising 210 per cent since 2007.

But the World Health Organisation has warned that a one-hour shisha session can be as harmful as smoking 100 cigarettes.

This is because a cigarette smoker typically takes between eight and 12 puffs, inhaling 0.5 to 0.6 litres of smoke.

But during hour-long shisha sessions smokers may take up to 200 drags, ranging from 0.15 to 1 litre of smoke each.

THE RISKS 1.

Shisha tobacco traditionally contains cigarette tobacco, therefore like cigarettes it contains nicotine, carbon monoxide tar, and heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead. As a result, shisha smokers are at risk of the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smokers, such as cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and problems during pregnancy.

2.

It’s difficult to say exactly how much smoke or toxic substances you’re exposed to in a typical shisha session.People smoke shisha for much longer periods of time than they smoke a cigarette, and in one puff of shisha you inhale the same amount of smoke as you’d get from a smoking a whole cigarette.

3.

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

4.

Some people mistakenly think that shisha smoking is not addictive because the water used in the pipe can absorb nicotine. In reality, because only some of the nicotine is absorbed by the water, shisha smokers are still exposed to

from more than 100 cigarettes.

enough nicotine to cause an addiction.

Shisha smokers are 2.12 times more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer Are you sure it’s worth trying?

IS HERBAL SHISHA SAFER? No. Shisha, herbal or otherwise, usually contains tobacco.

Fruit or herbal flavours do not mean the product is healthy.

Even if you use tobacco-free shisha, you’re still at risk from the carbon monoxide and any toxins in the coal or charcoal used to burn the shisha.

Second hand smoke is also a worry. If you’re smoking with other people or in a public place and the shisha includes cigarette tobacco, it’s likely you’ll breathe in their second hand smoke too.

WHO USES SHISHA? Shisha smoking is traditionally used by people from Middle Eastern or Asian community groups but is becoming increasingly popular in cities around the UK. Recent data on shisha shows it’s getting used more widely.

Two in five local authorities we surveyed said they’d seen an increase in the number of shisha bars since 2007, with research showing that one in 10 Caucasian people have now tried it.

Are you sure trying Shisha is the best chioice? Or is it just a trend that you want to follow?

WHERE CAN I GET HELP QUITTING? Because of the nicotene, Shisha can become addictive, which can make it diffifult for smokers to quit straight away.

Learning the facts of Shisha should help you realise the dangers and risks you are putting on your health, but taking further action can aid you in the process of quitting Shisha.

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KNOW THE FACTS Smoking Shisha comes with many risks and dangers, know the facts. Are you sure it’s worth trying?

Visit http://www.blackburn.gov.uk