Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (2024)

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Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (2)By Afsaneh Khetrapal, BScReviewed by Yolanda Smith, B.Pharm.

Smoking shisha is a form of smoking tobacco that was established in Persia and India centuries ago. It is also called hookah, narghile, argileh, waterpipe, goza or hubble bubble smoking.

Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (3)

Image Copyright: Chubykin Arkady / Shutterstock

The apparatus which is used consists of a water pipe with a chamber for smoke, a bowl, a pipe and a hose. When in use, charcoal is burned in the pipe which heats a specially-prepared tobacco mixture and creates the smoke that is filtered through water. Interestingly, it is thought that the original shisha used a water pipe carved from a coconut shell and milk to filter opium or hashish.

Smoking shisha can cause the following harmful effects:

Cancer

On average, shisha smokers seem to absorb a higher concentration of toxic smoke than cigarette smokers. This is partially due to characteristics in the way that shisha smoking is practiced such as the frequency of puffing and depth of inhalation compared to cigarette smoking. Typically, the length of a shisha session is an hour, during which the user may inhale up to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a cigarette.

Additionally, even though the water in a shisha pipe acts as a filter, it is not actually effective in removing high levels of toxic products, such as carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and carcinogens which are present in the smoke that shisha produces.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Toxins from the shisha smoke enter the bloodstream and contribute to atherosclerosis that in turn hardens and narrows arteries. The lining of the arteries also get damaged from the smoke leading to the accumulation of a fatty deposit (atheroma) which narrows the artery. These changes can cause many cardiovascular complications such as angina, congestive heart failure, a heart attack or a stroke.

Shisha smoking provides almost the same amount of nicotine to users as cigarettes do therefore nicotine addiction is an unsurprising consequence. The nicotine also stimulates adrenaline production thereby raising blood pressure, making the heart work harder and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Unlike cigarettes, shisha is burnt using charcoal or wood cinders so users can also be exposed to incredibly high levels of carbon monoxide gas. This level of carbon monoxide in the tobacco smoke reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the user’s blood so their heart must pump harder to supply the body with sufficient oxygen.

Infectious Diseases

There are also risks associated with the way in which shisha smoking is socially practiced. The apparatus is generally smoked in special bars and the mouthpiece provided may not be hygienic to use due to improper cleaning. Thus, using it risks the spread of infectious diseases including bacterial by tuberculosis, fungal by aspergillus (affecting the lungs), helicobacter (responsible for stomach ulcers) and viral by herpes and hepatitis.

Due to the fact that users are not always aware of the harms associated with smoking shisha there have been studies by the WHO suggesting initiatives aimed at raising awareness and subsequently decreasing the usage of shisha. These include:

  • Providing education to all audiences concerned (including health professionals and the public) about the risks of smoking shisha both to an individual and to the public as second-hand exposure.
  • Ensuring that the regulations governing cigarettes and other tobacco products also apply to shishas and their related flavored tobacco products.
  • Labelling shisha products with the appropriate health warnings and prohibiting those which are misleading (i.e. implying safety).
  • Prohibiting shisha smoking in places with active bans on cigarette and other forms of tobacco smoking.

References

Further Reading

  • All Shisha Content
  • How Does Shisha Compare to Cigarette Smoking?

Last Updated: May 18, 2023

Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (4)

Written by

Afsaneh Khetrapal

Afsaneh graduated from Warwick University with a First class honours degree in Biomedical science. During her time here her love for neuroscience and scientific journalism only grew and have now steered her into a career with the journal, Scientific Reports under Springer Nature. Of course, she isn’t always immersed in all things science and literary; her free time involves a lot of oil painting and beach-side walks too.

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Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (5)

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Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? (2024)

FAQs

Is Smoking Shisha Harmful? ›

Hookah smoke has high levels of harmful chemicals. These include tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens.

How harmful is shisha? ›

In a shisha session (which usually lasts 20-80 minutes), a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes. Like cigarette smoking, these toxins from tobacco-based shisha puts smokers at risk of developing: heart and circulatory diseases. cancers.

What is the truth about shisha smoking? ›

Shisha smoking provides almost the same amount of nicotine to users as cigarettes do therefore nicotine addiction is an unsurprising consequence. The nicotine also stimulates adrenaline production thereby raising blood pressure, making the heart work harder and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Is shisha worse than vaping? ›

Hookah smoking is not a safer alternative to vaping, both carry significant health risks including lung disease and cancer. The water in hookah does not filter out harmful chemicals, contrary to popular belief.

Is shisha pen harmful? ›

Already after one puff of the shisha-pen, the concentrations of propylene glycol and glycerol are sufficiently high to potentially cause irritation of the airways.

Does shisha affect sperm? ›

According to our study, although hookah smoking does not have a significant effect on sperm parameters, it may have deleterious effects on DNA integrity, oxidative status, and nuclear protein levels of spermatozoa.

Is shisha the same as vaping? ›

The mechanism of action differs between shisha and vaping. Shisha involves heating shisha tobacco using charcoal, producing smoke filtered through water before inhalation. On the other hand, a vaping device relies on an electric heating coil to vaporize e-liquid, which is then inhaled directly as hot smoke.

What does shisha do to your lungs? ›

1, Long-term effects include impaired pulmonary function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. Short-term hookah use is associated with acute health effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, reduced pulmonary function, and carbon monoxide intoxication.

What is the difference between hookah and shisha? ›

So, shisha is the name for the aromatic and flavorful tobacco that is used within a hookah, but the term is also taken to mean the pipe itself – especially since the Persian word for glass is shishe. Hookah is the actual pipe through which one smokes shisha.

Why is shisha illegal? ›

Dr Mailu also noted that in Kenya, shisha was a gateway to the consumption of other hard drugs such as heroin and bhang. In 2014, before the ban was enacted, the anti-drug abuse agency Nacada, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, banned 19 shisha flavours found to contain bhang, heroin and cocaine.

Is hookah the worst form of smoking? ›

Hookahs Are Dangerous

Compared with a single cigarette, smoking hookah for “one session” delivers 25 times the tar, 125 times the smoke, 2.5 times the nicotine, and 10 times the carbon monoxide, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Are you supposed to inhale shisha? ›

The staff can also recommend flavors, so please feel free to ask. When inhaling shisha, inhale for a longer time than usual, making a bubbling sound of water for about 1 to 2 seconds. Once you have the smoke in your mouth, take a deep breath to draw the smoke into your lungs. Exhale the smoke in your lungs immediately.

How many cigarettes are equal to shisha? ›

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.

How long does shisha stay in your body? ›

The bottom line. If you smoke, traces of nicotine can be found in your hair, blood, urine, and saliva. It can be detected in your urine for at least 3 days after your exposure to nicotine and in your hair for weeks or more. The best way to remove nicotine from your body is to avoid tobacco products altogether.

Is shisha illegal? ›

It is illegal to smoke shisha in enclosed or substantially enclosed public places and smoking shisha has severe health affects.

Is shisha a drug? ›

While shisha does contain nicotine and other substances that can be addictive, it does not contain any of the other drugs associated with illegal drug use. However, it can still be harmful to your health if used excessively.

Is shisha worse than smoking? ›

Hookah smoke has high levels of harmful chemicals. These include tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens. In fact, hookah smokers are exposed to more carbon monoxide and smoke than are cigarette smokers.

Is smoking a pipe once a week bad? ›

While occasionally smoking a pipe may be less harmful than smoking cigarettes regularly, no form of smoking is entirely safe, and even occasional smoking carries health risks.

What's the difference between hookah and shisha? ›

A hookah is a type of water pipe often used to smoke flavored tobacco. Alternative names for it include: narghile, argileh, hubble-bubble, and goza. What is Shisha? Shisha is flavored tobacco made up of shredded tobacco leaf combined with molasses, honey, or dried fruit.

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