While shisha smoking gives an impression of being safer than other types of tobacco smoking because of its fruit flavours and water filtering, it can be just as harmful.
A shisha is a smoking device, also known as a nargila, argileh, waterpipe or hookah. It has four parts: head, body, bowl and hose. The smoker breathes in through the mouthpiece in the hose. Smoke is drawn from the head, down the body, through the water in the bowl and into the mouth.
Shisha smoke contains large amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar and other toxins. The water in the shisha does not remove any of the toxins and the fruit flavour does not make it a healthy choice. In fact, 45 minutes of smoking a shisha equates to smoking 100 cigarettes.
In the short-term, shisha can increase your heart pressure and reduce lung capacity. In the long-term, it can lead to heart and lung disease and different cancers.
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