Are Electronic Shisha Pens Safer than Real Shisha?

Are Electronic Shisha Pens Safer than Real Shisha?

Electronic Shisha pens, a.k.a. electronic Shisha sticks, or electronic hookahs or e-hookahs, are rapidly becoming a common trend among the youth and young adults today. The main reason for its growing demand is that it offers a similar experience to using traditional Shisha but minus its nasty smoke. E-Shisha pen manufacturers usually claim that these electronic Shisha sticks or e-hookahs pose lesser health risks compared to smoking traditional Shisha.

But what exactly are electronic Shisha pens? Are they really a safer option to smoking traditional Shisha?

How does it work?

Electronic Shisha pens are battery-operated devices akin to electronic cigarettes. Its atomizer heats up the Shisha’s e-liquid, changing it into a vapour which can then be inhaled. The pens or “sticks” are available in reusable or disposable form and often comes in a variety of flavours.

What’s inside?

The main contents of Shisha pen e-liquids are fruit flavouring (mainly herbal), propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and water. Both vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol are considered non-toxic organic components and are found in many everyday consumable products

Is it toxic?

Most “e-hookahs” or electronic Shisha pens do not include toxic compounds such as heavy metals (lead and arsenic), carbon monoxide, and other cancer-inducing chemicals that are typically found in traditional Shishas.

Because of the toxic compounds found in traditional Shisha smoke, its smokers become at risk of serious diseases such as respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and cancers to name only a few. Additionally, when smokers use real Shisha, the people around them are also breathing in the toxic fumes hence also putting them at risk of developing major diseases.

Electronic Shisha pens, on the other hand, do not emit smoke; thus it produces no risks of passive inhaling and users also do not experience nasty smells. Also in the UK, there is no existent law that says users cannot smoke e-Shishas indoors. Because electronic Shisha pens do not generally contain the toxic chemicals found in traditional Shisha, the risks of obtaining a smoking-related disease is also significantly reduced.

Always make sure to check the ingredients of the e-hookah or e-Shisha pen you are buying to check that no other nasty chemicals or toxic ingredients have been added.

Is it safer?

Commonsensical terms may suggest that inhaling vapours produced from non-toxic ingredients should be a better alternative compared to inhaling smoke containing over 4000 chemicals; nonetheless, we must bear in mind that electronic Shisha pens are a newly endorsed product, hence they have yet to be studied and tested for their long term health effects.

Although we aknowledge the trend towards the use of e-shisha pens amongst traditional shisha smokers, we do not sell them at this time as we have focused our attention on the ever increasing demand for electronic cigarettes which has enabled us to better serve this niche market.