For nearly a decade, the shisha (also known as hookah), this funny water pipe traditionally used in the Middle East for smoking tobacco, has set out to conquer the world. And today, in all the cities of France, you can find “shisha bars”, straight from the Orient …
Except that if the shisha is as convivial as it is fun, it is nonetheless extremely dangerous for health. First, even if you can order a shisha flavored with apple, caramel or even cotton candy, it is still tobacco that we smoke, and in large quantities: on average, a mixture of tobacco for shisha weighs 10 g, or the equivalent of 10 cigarettes.
Uranium, lead, nickel, chromium and cobalt: a carcinogenic cocktail
But that’s not all: according to a recent international study published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health, shisha smokers are also exposed to significant concentrations of heavy metals … and in particular uranium.
The figures are cold in the back: researchers have indeed discovered that by smoking a shisha for about 1 hour, we inhale 26 times the maximum daily dose of uranium recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization), as well as than a large dose of lead, the fault of the charcoal used to heat the water in the device. In addition, abnormal concentrations of nickel, chromium and cobalt have also been identified. So many compounds carcinogenic !
“We have to draw people’s attention to the fact that shisha is not harmless: the water in the tank is absolutely not used to filter the smoke, but just to cool it. And the aromas should not mask the presence of tobacco. Warns Dr. Akeel Al-Kazwini, co-author of the study.
To read also: The shisha would contain carcinogens and nicotine.
