30 May 2023
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.
Download the facts
10 November 2022
NSW Health has developed a Vaping Toolkit to increase young people’s awareness of the dangers of e-cigarettes use. The resources educate young people that vaping is not safe. Vapes can contain harmful chemicals and can be addictive due to high levels of nicotine.
The Facts About Vaping
Download new multilingual fact sheets, posters, social media tiles and videos for parents and carers of young people aged 14 to 17 years:
Access resources here
This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 9 November 2022. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.
24 June 2022
Cancer Council is seeking expressions of interest from community service organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to join its Tackling Tobacco program to help continue to decrease smoking rates in the local communities which require the most support.
Tackling Tobacco is a step-by-step program which aims to reduce smoking-related harm among priority populations which experience high levels of social and economic disadvantage.
Through Tackling Tobacco, Cancer Council helps organisations address smoking, and support people who access their services and their staff to quit.
The program is free to join and works by delivering training for staff and volunteers, providing a dedicated Cancer Council representative for 12 months, offering financial grants based on need, sharing resources and facilitating monthly steering group meetings.
To express your interest in joining the program, email tacklingtobacco@nswcc.org.au, call 9334 1911 by Thursday, June 30. Alternatively, organisations can complete the Expression of Interest form.
Find out more
