Health Risks and Legal Restrictions of Shisha Smoking
Yes. It is illegal to smoke shisha indoors in public spaces or workplaces in the UK. Shisha smoke contains toxic chemicals like cigarette smoke. It increases the risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
Second-hand shisha smoke also contains harmful substances like carbon monoxide and is dangerous. In a shisha session, a smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as over 100 cigarettes. This puts them at risk of heart and circulatory diseases and cancer.
It is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under 18 years old in the UK. Shisha is normally shared, so the ages of the whole group must be checked.
Shisha smoking is banned in enclosed public spaces in the UK. In premises with a roof, at least half the wall space must be open to be legal. If people smoke shisha in an enclosed premises, the owner is committing a criminal offence.
Parental smoking increases the risk of congenital heart defects in newborns by 25% from mothers and more from fathers.
Smoke and Space Regulations
The charcoal used to heat the tobacco can raise health risks by producing high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals. Even after it has passed through water, the smoke from a hookah has high levels of these toxic agents.
Hookah bars and lounges typically claim they operate as tobacco shops and private smokers’ lounges, which are among the businesses that can allow indoor smoking under exemptions in laws. This was an unintended side effect of vaping panic.
Hookah Culture and Safe Practices
Flavored hookah is not universally illegal. Smoking hookah indoors is something that a lot of people disagree on. I don’t suggest this.
New technologies and modern design trends are changing the appearance of hookahs. Today, hookahs are readily available for sale across the United States, along with a variety of tobacco brands and accessories. In addition to private hookah smoking, hookah lounges or bars have opened in cities across the country.
Only problem with smoking indoors really is carpet burns. Every hookah smoker probably gets them at some point, even the best of us who have been smoking for years and years. If you do end up smoking indoors, get a decent size, thick rug to lay under the hookah.