These days nearly everyone knows that smoking shisha is associated with health risks. Yet no one seems to know exactly how harmful it really is.
This is not surprising, considering research about shisha smoking is still emerging. Some studies suggest a user may inhale as much smoke during one session as smoking 100 or more cigarettes. Others say it’s only as bad as smoking 10 or so cigarettes. Health Authority Abu Dhabi has recently warned that smoking one shisha pipe is equivalent to smoking about 140 cigarettes.
Such diverse viewpoints explain why there is a widespread misconception about the health implications of shisha. For example, some users think the water pipe filters out toxins, while others are misled by the sweet fruit flavours. All this is proof that we need a definitive study on shisha’s effects and preferably for that research to be led by this region.
