Despite the introduction of rules banning shisha cafes from operating within 150 metres of residential areas, schools and mosques, many cafes openly break the rules and continue to serve shisha in those areas. Abu Dhabi residents told The National this week that they are concerned about their health and that of their young children. Other said they don't feel comfortable going in and out of their building seeing people sitting for hours on end smoking water pipes.
The rules clearly need more enforcement. The authorities have to make sure that the regulations are being followed and they should punish those businesses that choose to flout them.
Customers also need to understand the risks they subject themselves and others to, especially children. Doctors warn that smoking shisha near children, even in open-air spaces, can put them in great danger. It could even lead to infant death syndrome in extreme cases.
Apparently, there is still a common misconception that shisha is not as harmful as cigarettes, since it is flavoured and passes through water first. While some researchers say smoking shisha tobacco is less toxic than cigarette tobacco, others, including the World Health Organisation, suggest that smoking shisha is actually more dangerous than smoking cigarettes and can lead to similar health problems, including respiratory problems, heart disease and cancer.
For example, a WHO report warned that since smoking through a water pipe may take up to 80 minutes, the smoker would be a subject to as much smoke as somebody dragging on 100 cigarettes. The water does not strip out all toxic substances, including carbon monoxide and carcinogens.
But the amount of research that has been conducted is far less than that on the impact of cigarettes. The subject of shisha lacks a definitive study to dispel myths and shatter misleading information. Unfortunately, until that happens, public confusion will persist and the risks will remain.
