FREQUENTLY ASKED
questions
IS ONE HOUR OF SHISHA THE SAME AS 100 CIGARETTES? ANSWER
NO:
All tobacco products have risks but shisha is very different from other tobacco products in its composition and use. Shisha aerosol is very different to tobacco smoke. Shisha contains little tobacco relative to other tobacco products. It is heated ,not combusted and it produces an aerosol that is mostly water vapour.
A study commissioned by Al Fakher and published by the Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) found that an Al Fakher shisha (in this case Two Apples with Mint) generates an aerosol that is 75% water and glycerol (60% and 15% respectively). Cigarette smoke is 75% tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. The same study found fewer and lower concentrations of constituents associated with tobacco smoke.
Most people enjoy shisha in moderation,far less often than smokers light up a cigarette. In the United States,for example,90% of people who enjoy shisha do so no more than once per month. In comparison, the average American cigarette smoker will smoke 14 cigarettes per day. According to Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk, the average shisha user in Germany takes part in a shisha session twice a week. They state that “if one compares the average water pipe smoker who smokes one to two waterpipes a week with an average cigarette smoker who smokes 20-30 cigarettes a day, then smoking cigarettes must definitely be seen as more harmful. However,based on the knowledge currently available the health risks are similar for waterpipe smokers who smoke two to three pipes of tobacco a day.”
DOES THE WATER BOWL ACT TO PURIFY THE AEROSOL? ANSWER
NO :
Water does not purify the aerosol. Its purpose is purely functional. Without the water, the aerosol from the shisha head cannot be drawn into the pipe.
UNFLAVOURED
SHISHA
HIGHER LEVEL
OF NICOTINE
FLAVOURED SHISHA
LOWER LEVEL
OF NICOTINE
?IS ALL SHISHA FLOVERED
:ANSWER
YES
With the exception of black molasses known in Egypt but available in very few other countries, all shisha is flavored Flavored shisha is a completely different product to black molasses.
For example, black molasses typically contain higher levels of tobacco and nicotine. Their glycerin content is low and because of this, they can only be smoked by placing charcoal directly on the tobacco mixture, thereby burning it and releasing higher levels of toxicants.
Al Fakher does not produce any unflavored shisha. Al Fakher products cannot be consumed by direct application of charcoal to the shisha. Our flavoured shisha products include around 40% glycerin. Glycerin is a critical component in our shisha products because it enables consumption without burning the mixture.
REFERENCES
1- Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco.A Preliminary Comparison of flavoured waterpipe tobacco aerosol with cigarette smoke. Wilkinson, Oct 2019
2- CDC, National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Press Release, Thursday, January 18, 2018