Shisha 'as harmful as cigarettes'

You —

Smoking a shisha pipe is as bad for people as smoking tobacco, the Department of Health and the Centre for Tobacco Control Research has found.

People who smoke shisha, or herbal tobacco, can suffer from high carbon monoxide levels, its research revealed.

It found one session of smoking shisha resulted in carbon monoxide levels at least four to five times higher than the amount produced by a cigarette.

High levels of carbon monoxide can lead to brain damage and unconsciousness.

Shisha is an Arabic water-pipe in which fruit-scented tobacco is burnt using coal, passed through an ornate water vessel and inhaled through a hose.

Read more @ BBC News

Forum

You — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 - 01:09

Well, that title is misleading. According to the link, a shisha is much much worse than cigarettes.

"We found one session of smoking shisha - that's 10 milligrams for 30 minutes - gave carbon monoxide levels that were at the lowest four and five times as high as having a cigarette," said Dr Wareing.

"But at the worst, shisha was 400 to 450 times more dangerous than having a cigarette," she added.

and

..."There's a heightened risk of getting TB, herpes and infections like that,"...

That should make people think twice.

Ya'qub — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 - 23:06

[quote=You]"There's a heightened risk of getting TB, herpes and infections like that,"...

That should make people think twice.[/quote]

Surely that would come from sharing the mouthpiece with a herpes sufferer?

And did you know chicken pox is a form of herpes?

Ya'qub — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 - 23:57

[quote=You]Do you expect them to disinfect the pipes between clients?[/quote]

A) get you own.
B) in cafes they give u plastic mouth pieces to put on the top.
C) driving is far more dangerous, and nowhere near as important to the fabric of society, as smoking.
D) I'm being deliberately provocative.