A woman smokes a shisha (water pipe) in a cafe in Dubai.

Shisha smoking also known as hookah smoking, started in the far east and has since spread throughout the world. The consequences of smoking shisha can be very dangerous and hazardous to the health of the user. A shisha is a water pipe filled with tobacco, but shisha is also the name of the fruity tobacco that is smoked. Smoking shisha is thought to be not as harmful as smoking a cigarette, but to the contrary shisha smoking is more damaging to the human body than cigarettes. There are a full range of health risks connected with shisha smoking. 

A shisha is made up of four sectional parts. There is a base which is in some measure filled with water, a bowl that holds the tobacco, and a hose and pipe used for inhaling the smoke. 

Shisha is very dangerous to the user, because it allows the smoker to inhale a much greater volume of smoke, much more than they could from cigarettes. Shisha smoke is filled with dangerous toxins like, carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine and other chemicals that are usually found in cigarettes. One of the most serious health concerns involved with smoking shisha is cancer. The chance of developing some form of cancer increases by 50% and the main cancers associated with smoking Shisha is lung, mouth, and throat cancers. Shisha smoking has also been linked to an increased chance of developing gum disease. Emphysema, asthma, lung disease, low sperm count and other health problems have been linked to smoking Shisha. Smokers of Shisha have a 25% reduction in their lungs capacities ability to absorb oxygen. The action of smoking Shisha are profoundly detrimental. 

Shisha smokers have an increased chance of becoming addicts. Shisha smoking can lead to everyday water pipe use, which increases the chance of developing one of the above named diseases. 

The spread of communicable diseases is related with the sharing of hookah pipes. Saliva passed on from one infected individual, to a non-infected individual through an unwashed mouthpiece can spread common illnesses like the flu and cold virus. Children are especially vulnerable to the actions of those smoking shisha, and more apt to developed and suffer from asthma, repertory illnesses, and crib death. It has been reported that in the eastern countries children as young as seven have been observed smoking shisha. 

Smoking Shisha in a single session can create carbon monoxide levels more than 4 to 5 times higher than that created by a cigarette smoker. Increased carbon monoxide levels have been linked to brain damage, and can result in unconsciousness. It has been reported that one smoking session of shisha is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes. The numbers and statistics speaks volumes about the health risks associated with shisha smoking.

The packets that shisha comes in usually have very misleading information, claiming 0% tar and 0.5% nicotine, but this clearly is not the case. Shisha is smoked over coals, and the fumes from the coals adds additional chemicals and toxins to the already dangerous substances found in shisha smoke. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) puts the equivalent risk of shisha smoke, as high as 200 times that of a cigarette. 

Another problem with smoking shisha, is the environment in which it is smoked. The environment is usually in a crowded cafe designated specifically for smoking shisha. This adds an extra risk for non-smokers, too developed a lung disease from second-hand smoke. The action of using shisha doesn't just hurt the user, but it can also hurt those around them. The indoor act of smoking shisha increases the harm of second-hand smoke by more than 30%. Shisha smoking is seen as a social activity, which misleads users into thinking that it isn't as harmful as smoking a cigarette. 

The dangers of shisha smoke have been greatly underrated, as anyone can see from reading this article. This article is meant to warn users and potential users about the risks involved with and associated with smoking shisha. The risk of developing cancers, gum disease and repertory illnesses makes smoking shisha not worth it at all. Go ahead and research the topic on your own, and you will find that the dangers of this product are not just harmful to the user but is also harmful too those around them. The actions of smoking shisha outweighs, the social enjoyment of the activity. 

Source: QuitShisha.com  Quit Shisha seeks to Build awareness about the harms and effects of smoking Shisha (hookah).  Educate yourself about the harms of Shisha at:  www.QuitShisha.com