By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
SMOKING out of a hookah – or shisha smoking – should be banned inside cafes and restaurants in Greater Dandenong, says councillor Matthew Kirwan.
Cr Kirwan wants the council to urge the state government to end the indoor-smoking exemptions for shisha in workplaces and dining areas.
Cr Kirwan told the Journal he was not seeking to ban shisha outright but to bring it in line with cigarette-smoking regulations.
He stated in his notice of motion to be tabled at tonight’s (Monday) council meeting that a rising number of businesses in Greater Dandenong were offering shisha smoking.
“There is a misconception that as the shisha smoke passes through a bowl of water, the water acts as a type of toxin filter and is therefore less harmful.
“In actual fact, nicotine and most tobacco-related toxins are not water-soluble.”
World Health Organisation estimates that a one-hour shisha session produced the same volume of inhaled smoke as between 100-200 cigarettes.
Maruf Ahmed, who runs Adda Café and Shisha Lounge in Noble Park, said his and other Greater Dandenong outlets only served “herbal” shisha – which comprised none or at least little tobacco.
He said his fruit-flavoured shisha contained “0.05 per cent tobacco per one kilogram”. One cigarette was equivalent to 15-20 shisha servings, he said.
“I don’t smoke cigarettes but I smoke four to five shisha a day for the past seven years. I don’t have any issues,” Mr Ahmed said.
“It’s not like the tobacco shisha served in Cairo and the Middle East; we don’t serve that here.”
He said cigarettes and alcohol presented more serious health issues.
Mr Kirwan said “herbal shisha” smokers were still inhaling unhealthy particulate smoke matter.
“There’s a health risk whether it’s herbal or non-herbal. It may be safer but it’s not safe.”
Several Melbourne councils and Quit Victoria have been lobbying for Victoria to stop being the only Australian state that makes exemptions for shisha and hookah tobacco.
Quit Victoria policy manager Kylie Lindorff said shisha and hookah tobacco posed substantial health risks to both the user and those exposed to second-hand smoke.
“This is a product that is called tobacco, it contains tobacco and is smoked so it is logical that it is covered by the same laws as other tobacco products.
“Waterpipe smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking.
“It produces a similar level of air pollutants as cigarettes so staff working in these shisha cafes are not afforded the same protection as those working in other cafes and indoor areas.”
What do you think? Should shisha smoking be banned in workplaces and dining areas? Let us know at journal@starnewsgroup.com.au.
