The Fondation Cancer has dedicated to most recent edition of its magazine "den Ins!der" to the risks created by smoking shisha - a practice which at present 24% of 15-24 year olds regularly do in Luxembourg.
Published four times a year by the Fondation Cancer, the magazine is aimed towards adolescents aged between 12 and 16 years old, with the objective of raising awareness of a healthy lifestyle. The magazine provides useful and practical information and talks about risk factors associated with cancer such as smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise and bad nutrition.
Edition N°66 has been devoted to the practice of shisha, a water pipe which is used to smoke perfumed tobacco. The magazine aims to debunk certain popular myths surrounding shisha, including that the fruity taste with which the shisha is often aromatised makes it better for the health than cigarettes, that shisha involves inhaling fewer carcinogens compared to regular smoking, and that the water in shisha filters toxic substances.
By contrast, it lists the less widely-known issues linked to shisha, that tar is deposited in the smoker's lungs, that it can potentially help transmit infectious diseases such as herpes, gastroenteritis and hepatitis, and that it can create a dependency.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of shisha use among young people, largely promulgated through campaigns from the tobacco agency highlighting it as an accompaniment to situations of friendliness and group consumption. The industry has also continued to create new products to maintain interest in the practice.
To read a copy of the magazine online, click here.
