Dr Serebour dismisses claims shisha is safer

Former Director of the Korle Bu Cardio Centre, Dr Lawrence Serebour, has dismissed claims that shisha is less harmful than conventional cigarettes because its smoke passes through water, warning that the belief is misleading and exposes users to dangerous chemicals.

He said the water used in shisha pipes does not filter out harmful substances in tobacco smoke, contrary to the perception among some users that the process makes the practice safer.

According to a report by myjoyonline.com on November 6, 2026, Dr Serebour described the belief as false, stressing that users continue to inhale dangerous chemicals despite the smoke passing through water.

“So, it's a lie that because it passes through water, it does not filter the chemicals, the bad chemicals at all. It does not do that. It's a lie,” he said.

He explained that the charcoal used to heat tobacco in shisha pipes produces significant amounts of carbon monoxide, which he said could be more than what cigarette smokers inhale.

“It's a lie. In fact, the carbon monoxide that you inhale from shisha smoking is far more than what you get from cigarette smoking,” he said.

Dr Serebour warned that carbon monoxide can affect the heart and lungs and interfere with the blood's ability to transport oxygen throughout the body.

‘Shisha smoking dangerous to the heart’ - Dr. Lawrence Sereboe

He further disclosed that an hour-long shisha session could expose users to smoke equivalent to that from between 100 and 200 cigarettes.

“One hour spent on the shisha machine is equivalent to smoking 100 to 200 sticks of cigarette,” he indicated.

Dr Serebour cautioned that tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 harmful chemicals, about 70 of which are known to cause cancer.

He said prolonged exposure to these substances could result in cancers affecting the mouth, lips, larynx, oesophagus, lungs and bladder, among other health complications.

Dr Serebour consequently described shisha smoking as “slow-acting suicide”, warning users against being misled by the perception that the water-based smoking method makes it less dangerous.

“So, spending time, spending money on smoking this shisha is quite harmful to the body. I call it suicide. You know, slow-acting suicide, that's all,” he said.

He also warned that shisha smoking can become addictive because of the nicotine contained in tobacco products.

“Nicotine is highly, highly addictive,” he stressed.

MRA/BAI

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