Smoking shisa is bad for you warns BHF

Foundation is warning people in the South East of the dangers of shisha on No Smoking Day (today) as new data reveals widespread unawareness of the harm it can cause coupled with a rise in the number of shisha bars across the region.

Shisha smokers inhaling flavoured tobacco through exotic waterpipes have become a common sight in city streets across the UK. But under the romance and heady smells lies a familiar killer the BHF wants the public to be aware of.

Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the BHF, said: “Contrary to popular belief, shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes. Don’t be duped by the sweet smell and wholesome sounding fruity flavours, if you use shisha you are a smoker and that means you’re putting your health at risk.

“It’s linked to the same serious and life-threatening diseases as cigarettes and there are added risks because you often smoke it for far longer than you would a cigarette and you’re also exposed to toxins from the wood or charcoal used to burn the tobacco. Fortunately No Smoking Day is a great opportunity for anyone who smokes, in whatever form, to try and quit.”

Shisha smoking is linked to the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smoking including heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease and problems during pregnancy.

Yet one in seven (14 per cent) adults in the South East surveyed for the BHF thought there were no health harms from using shisha, and less than half (45 per cent) knew shisha could contain tobacco.

Freedom of Information data from 133 local authorities in major towns and cities across the UK shows 53 per cent have – or have had - a shisha bar since 2007, while more than 40 per cent have seen a rise in the number of shisha bars since the smoking ban came into force. In the South East, 47 per cent have – or have had a shisha bar, and 27 per cent have seen a rise.

This is in stark contrast to the steady decline in cigarette smokers in the UK (4) and has prompted the BHF to urge people to find out the facts about shisha, which is also known as hookah, hubble bubble and narghile, as part of its No Smoking Day campaign.

More than 750,000 people attempt to quit on No Smoking Day each year. But the charity is concerned thousands of quitters may still be putting their health at risk by using shisha, and that the rising number of shisha bars could provide a new gateway for people to start smoking and become addicted to tobacco.

Almost everyone in the South East surveyed for the BHF were unaware that during a typical hour-long shisha session you can inhale the same amount of smoke as from more than 100 tobacco cigarettes. A total of 85 per cent of respondents in the South East thought it was 10 or fewer.

Nationally, the survey results showed shisha is most popular among young people with more than a quarter (27 per cent) of UK 18 to 24 year olds saying they’d used it. Worryingly misconceptions about the dangers of shisha were highest among this group and those aged 25-34 with 15 per cent each believing there were no health harms from shisha at all while 44 per cent of the younger UK adults thought it was less harmful than cigarettes.

By comparison, 17 per cent of overall UK respondents thought shisha was less harmful than cigarettes. In the South East, one in five (20 per cent) adults thought it was less harmful.

The national data showed shisha is no longer a pastime for perceived specific community groups alone, with almost one in ten (8%) people of white ethnicity saying they’d used it.

The survey also showed almost one in ten (9%) former cigarette smokers in the UK have used shisha as well as almost one in ten (8%) non-smokers.

Figures for the South East show one in ten (10 per cent) people use it.