A medical professional has warned that smoking shisha could lead to cancer, decreased fertility and lung dysfunction.

The medical expert, Dr. Olukunle Teemi who made this revelation in a chat with DAILY POST also warned that an hour of shisha smoke inhalation was comparable to smoking one hundred sticks of cigarette.

He warned that “shisha, being a heating instrument is also used for smoking and vapourising tobacco, a process that involves smoke passing through water in a glass-based container before it is inhaled by the smoker.

“Tobacco is bad enough and when you introduce shisha into the mixture, you have taken it to another level”, he warned.

“The rate at which people especially youths and working professionals are getting hooked on it is alarming. It is the smoke of choice these days in clubs, restaurants, parties and on campuses.

“It has gained notoriety to the extent that we have parlours in most big cities in Nigeria where people hang out after work to smoke shisha and drink alcohol.

“People still are not aware of the dangers inherent in inhaling it. We need to educate our people. There is a need for them to understand that what they call enjoyment is actually a short cut to the lung and throat cancer.”

The physician explained that risks associated with smoking it include toxic chemical exposure and the risk of contracting infectious diseases amongst people who socially inhale it.

The smoking of shisha has increased amongst working professionals, youths, students of higher institutions with many patronising joints where vapes are available.