Is enjoying shisha the same as smoking cigarettes?

IS ENJOYING SHISHA THE SAME AS SMOKING CIGARETTES?

No. All tobacco products have risks but comparing shisha to cigarettes is erroneous and misleading.

Shisha is heated at a temperature that is four times cooler than a burning cigarette and creates an aerosol that is 75% water (60%) and glycerol (15%). By contrast, cigarette smoke is 75% tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine.

Most people enjoy shisha in moderation, far less often than typical 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 . In Germany, the average person who enjoys shisha does so just twice per week.

Shisha takes time to prepare and cannot be transported easily or used “on the go.” Shisha is a unique cultural and social experience, whose history, ingredients, and use make it incomparable to other tobacco products characterized by high frequency use.