Health Warning: Shisha Risks for UK Tourists in Morocco and Middle East

Vape Club, the UK’s largest specialist online store, warns British travelers planning to vacation in popular destinations like Morocco, Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates of the dangers of smoking shisha, reports Hulllive. According to the company, the practice, common in countries in the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa, involves smoking tobacco prepared with molasses and flavored with fruit flavors using a water pipe. A practice that exposes smokers to the risk of developing conditions such as heart and circulatory diseases, cancers and respiratory diseases.

"Smoking shisha on vacation can be tempting as a social pastime with friends and family. However, the American Heart Association (the oldest and largest voluntary organization in the country dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, editor’s note) states that inhaling tobacco through water pipes, for just half an hour, causes users to absorb more carbon monoxide than smoking a cigarette," said Dan Marchant, director of Vape Club.

"The association also found that inhaling shisha for an hour can expose users to about 200 times the amount of smoke they would inhale from a cigarette. Although the activity may be popular abroad, we warn vacationers enjoying the summer to be aware of the health risks associated with shisha consumption," he added, notably recommending that Britons always have a vaping device with them to avoid smoking abroad.