LAHORE, Nov 13: A study carried out by medical experts and students of the Allama Iqbal Medical College claims that mushrooming sheesha (aromatic smoking) outlets in the city pose a serious threat to the health of teenagers, especially the girls.
“This habit was found to be most prevalent in the 16-25 years age group with 70 per cent sheesha smokers being male and 30 per cent female,” the study says.
It also apprehends use of prohibited and addictive substances in more than 30 per cent of the sheesha outlets, either by the owners or youngsters themselves.
The study says the sheesha smoking may result in low fertility rates among girls and increase the chances of fetal abnormalities (Teratogenesis), posing a major threat to their health.
“One puff of the sheesha smoke contains more than 5,000 active chemicals out of which at least more than 100 are carcinogenic and more than 25 per cent have serious addictive potential”, the study claims.
Most of the tobacco and sheesha wholesalers have their outlets around the Qadhafi Stadium.
The sheesha smoking is going on unchecked in some local parks as their managements were reportedly encouraging it in open spaces, the study says.
It mentions one such park located near Kalma Chowk where teenaged boys and girls regularly indulge in sheesha smoking. The park, with the permission of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), offers three open sheesha bars which attract many a visitor to the activity, the study adds.
It says sheesha smoking is associated with heart disease, stroke, muscle and joints ailments, headache, and may also lead to cancers of lips, tongue, mouth, lungs, stomach etc.
It is apprehended that addictive drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroine are being added to the flavoured tobacco either by the managements of these outlets or by the customers themselves.
The researchers claim to have surveyed as many as 100 sheesha outlets located in various areas of the city to compile the data.
The study claims the business which was initially confined to posh city areas was now taking roots in the low-income localities as well. The researchers, in this connection, have mentioned that many sheesha outlets have sprung up even in the streets of the Walled city.
It is learnt the issue was also discussed at length in a joint meeting between AIMC people and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Punjab officers on Friday where the participants showed serious concern over these mushrooming outlets.
The principal author of the study and AIMC Principal Prof Javed Akram and ANF Punjab Joint Director Lt Col Chaudhry Iftikhar Ali also attended the meeting which decided to first launch an awareness campaign about the hazardous effects of sheesha smoking on youths' health. Legal action against such outlets was also considered as a later course.
Prof Javed Akram said the study was also being published in some research journals of Europe. He said besides posing a serious threat to teenagers' mental and physical health the sheesha smoke also affected those sitting in the vicinity of the smokers, which is called second-hand or passive smoking.
“I think sheesha smoking may become a major public health challenge in near future as more and more teenagers are indulging in it,” he said and stressed the need for legislation on the issue, besides registration of these outlets with the regulating agencies.
He said the areas of Defence, Allama Iqbal Town, Gulberg, Cantonment Board, besides some elite hotels and restaurants, were hotbeds of the unhealthy activity.
He urged the ANF to randomly examine the sheesha outlets to check the use of drugs with addictive potential.