Frequently Asked Questions about Water Pipes
Updated BfR FAQs from 17 October 2011
The smoking of water pipes, also called shishas or hubble-bubbles, is popular amongst adolescents and young adults. It is often assumed that smoking water pipes is far less harmful than smoking cigarettes. But this is certainly not the case: water pipes are not a harmless alternative to cigarettes. In fact, the addiction and health risks are similarly high when it comes to water pipe smoke. Because of the sparse data available on the effects of smoking water pipes, only initial work on a risk assessment is possible at the present time. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has compiled Frequently Asked Questions on water pipes.