Do you smoke shisha? According to the 2009 Journal of Tobacco Induced Diseases, shisha smoke contain 36 times more nicotine than cigarettes.
Nicotine induces a temporary sense of calm and is highly addictive.
What is Shisha
Shisha is a vertical-stemmed water pipe instrument used for smoking flavoured tobacco. Shisha is said to have originated from India and the Middle East.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of tobacco products such as cigarettes and shisa account for more than five millions deaths worldwide every year.
A single session of smoking shisha produces smoke that is equivalent to smoking 100 or more cigarettes. Even after it has passed through water before it is inhaled, the smoke produced by shisha still contains high levels of toxins, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and other carcinogenic substance.
Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds of inhalation of smoke from shisha. Therefore addiction can occur after just a few sessions of smoking shisa.
Among the symptoms of nicotine addiction are :-
– Irritability
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Lack of focus
– Fatigue
Effects of Smoking Shisha
1) Shisha smokers are exposed to higher levels of nicotine than cigarette smokers.
2) The combined smoke from a burning shisha and the exhaled smoke of the smoker can adversely affect the health of the people around them.
3) Women who smoke shisha during pregnancy run the risk of harming their unborn child’s development and thus causing premature birth.
4) Sharing a Shisha pire raises the risk of catching serious illnesses such as tuberculosis and hepatitis A.
Source : Ministry of Health Malaysia
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