water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes

A Pakistani shopkeeper
Abu Dhabi - AFP

World health experts warned Thursday that smoking water pipes, long popular in the Middle East and North Africa and with a growing fan base elsewhere, can be more harmful than cigarettes.
"A single puff from a water pipe is nearly equal to the volume of smoke inhaled from an entire cigarette," said The Tobacco Atlas launched at the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health in Abu Dhabi.
And World Health Organization tobacco expert Edouard Tursan d'Espaignet said "one session of shisha (water pipe) can be equal to smoking 20 to 30 cigarettes in one go, which can be very dangerous."
The water pipe, variously known as a hubbly-bubbly, hookah, shisha or nargileh, has become a major worry for anti-tobacco campaigners as its is popularised across university campuses, overlooked by regulators.
In recent years, its use has spread to the United States, Europe and, to a lesser extent, South America.
Gemma Vestal of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative told AFP that while shishas were previously the domain of older males, "younger people between 18- and 24-years old living in cities and educated" are increasingly smoking them.
The chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine at the American University of Beirut, Ghazi Zaatari, says aromatic flavourings known as maasal added to the tobacco offer younger smokers a "smoother and more tolerated" alternative to the taste of traditional tobacco.
And the "water pipe has an interesting design because it somewhat engages your five senses. You're holding the hose, there’s something you're looking at, there is the aroma, there is the sound of the bubbling and there is this kind of sensational thing with the social gathering."
In social gatherings that last for an average of an hour, the smoker can quickly get "hooked on it because of the nicotine."
Moreover, the smoke from charcoal used to heat the tobacco contains toxins.
The WHO said harmful effects include impact on the "respiratory system, cardiovascular system, oral activity and teeth."
In addition to the dangers of lung cancer, data also suggest probable associations with oral, oesophageal, gastric, and urinary bladder cancer, as well as chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, stroke as well as other illnesses.
Global tobacco companies are increasingly investing in the water pipe business, experts say, while little has been done to curb their use, despite a crackdown on cigarettes.
According to The Tobacco Atlas, "water pipes fall into a less heavily or un-regulated group of tobacco products" in most countries.
"There has been a gap for a while and now hopefully, with this global effort, they (tobacco regulators) are coming back to emphasise the importance of including the water pipe in all these policies and regulations on tobacco," Zaatari said.
Brazil has taken measures to ban flavourings, while Turkey has extended warning labelling from cigarette packets to include the water pipe.
And the ruler of the  UAE emirate of  Sharjah has banned the use of water pipes altogether, earning him an award this week from the WHO.

 

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes water pipes can be more harmful than cigarettes

 



GMT 14:58 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

Humans spark most US wildfires

GMT 00:49 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

New vehicle scanner to ease Oman border rush

GMT 10:50 2018 Monday ,08 January

L'anza unveils sprayable styling paste Airpaste

GMT 16:40 2012 Monday ,20 February

New Ferrari Enzo

GMT 13:47 2013 Friday ,22 March

FM: Greece takeover process of Cypriot banks

GMT 19:13 2017 Monday ,16 October

6 wounded in USA oil rig blaze near New Orleans

GMT 16:34 2016 Sunday ,25 September

Pakistani air force jet crashes, killing pilot

GMT 20:53 2017 Wednesday ,14 June

Media council abandon complaint against writer

GMT 20:59 2017 Tuesday ,31 October

IMF official says Egypt's economy

GMT 15:19 2017 Wednesday ,29 November

Five things to watch out for in 2018
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday