The Dubai Expat Diaries

Fans of the popular and social pastime of smoking shisha (or Sheesha / Hooka) may be in for disappointment, as regulators aim to propose a ban on public shisha smoking. The ban is based on the belief that Shisha / Hooka smoking is more dangerous than cigarette smoking and exposes the public to a risk if secondary smoke and fumes which are detrimental to health.

Gulf News reports:

Shisha, also known as the hookah or hubbly bubbly, is popular here. Dr Wedad Al Maidour, head of the National Tobacco Control Committee responsible for drafting the law, told Gulf News that restricting shisha-smoking indoors was the only way to protect the public.She said if the proposal to ban shisha outdoors is rejected, the committee has an alternate proposal to regulate shisha-smoking in the UAE.

“We want to include not serving shisha to people who have children with them, so [the children] will not be exposed to the smoke,” she said, adding that the regulation would also apply to those under 18.

Other provisions in the draft law include a blanket ban on smoking in public places, such as shopping malls and parks, as well as pubs, bars and restaurants.

New to the Shisha / Sheesh / Hooka concept?

A hookah (Hindustani: हुक़्क़ा / حقّہ huqqa) is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) water pipe device for smoking; originating in India,[1][2] that has gained popularity, especially in the Arab World. A hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as herbal fruits and tobacco.

Depending on locality, hookahs may be referred to by many other names (often of Arab, Indian, Turkish, Uzbek, or Persian origin). Arghile or Narghile is the name most commonly used in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Albania,Greece, Israel, Bulgaria and Romania, though the initial “n” is often dropped in Arabic. “Narghile” is from the Persian word “nārgil” or “coconut”. In Sanskrit nārikela (नारीकेल), as the original, primitive hookahs were made out of coconut shells.[3] Shisha (شيشة) is from the Persian word shishe (شیشه, literally translated as glass and not bottle), and is primarily used for water pipes in Egypt and the Arab countries of the Gulf (such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia) as well as Morocco, Tunisia, Somalia and Yemen. In Iran it is called ghalyoun or ghalyan (قليان) and in India and Pakistan it is referred to as huqqa (हुक़्क़ा حقّہ).

Health benefits and risks
 
Today’s media sometimes suggests that hookah can be a more health threatening activity than smoking cigarettes. Research suggests that a session of hookah tobacco smoking (tobacco molasses) which lasts 45 minutes delivers slightly more tar and carbon monoxide (around 5-10%) than a packet of cigarettes. This study has, however, come under criticism for using unrealistically high temperatures for the tobacco (600-650 degrees C) and using arbitrary figures for tar filtration rates.[citation needed] This could possibly have skewed results, as the carcinogenic and toxin levels of smoke increases dramatically with temperature (Wynder 1958). Common practice is to keep temperatures to degrees which do not “char” the hookah; that is within a temperature range of 100-150 C. (Chaouachi K: Patologie associate all’uso del narghile). The effects of these lower temperatures on tar are inconclusive, though Chaouachi indicates the tar would be less harmful.

Some hookah tobaccos claim to contain 0.0% Tar.

However research has indicated that the use of the hookah may reduce comparative cancer risks, though such studies are not conclusive (Hoffman, Rakower, Salem 1983 and 90, Gupta Dheeraj 2001, Tandon 1995, Lubin 1992, Hazelton 2001, Stirling 1979). The levels of carbon monoxide produced during a hookah session varies widely depending on the type of coal used. Japanese charcoals are thought to produce lower amounts of carbon monoxide. However there is a notable difference in areas of carbon monoxide absorption, in that while cigarettes have a notable effect on the small respiratory tracts rather, shisha smoking mostly affects the major airways (Bakir 1991, Kiter). This means a lessened FEV vs FEV1/FVC ratio compared to cigarettes, which is believed to be less harmful for the airways long-term. It should be considered as a “safe” alternative to common cigarette smoking.

A report released in 2005 by WHO (World Health Organization) claimed to have researched the effects of water-pipe smoking.

A popular article by K Chaouachi, a French researcher who has been studying hookah usage and effects throughout the world since 1997, highlighted the mistakes and errors made by the WHO TobReg in its report. The WHO TobReg’s report is used in a lot of media articles about hookah smoking and its effects. Chaouachi also authored a book in 2007 which offers a complete look at data collected from his studies on hookahs and hookah users.

Hookahs can also be smoked with herbal flavours. These contain Sugar Cane Bagasse with no tobacco, nicotine or tar. The popular brands are Soex, Highlife & Black Label. This new method of smoking is aimed at replacing tobacco and its health effects. Therefore no research or discovered health risks have been conducted on herbal flavous. There has been a study that claims that this could be safer than traditional tobacco used in hookahs.

Many articles suggest that there is simply not enough research to provide answers to determine the effects of hookah smoking. Research is under way by Fogarty International Center-funded Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies, Egyptian Smoking Prevention Research Institute, Research for International Tobacco Control-funded Tobacco Prevention and Control Research Group at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon… (Source: Wikipedia)