Russia to ban hookah smoking in public
November 10th, 2011 - 1:42 pm ICT by IANSMoscow, Nov 10 (IANS) Russian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking a ban on hookah smoking in public places. The concentration of harmful substances in hookah smoke is considered a hundred times higher than in cigarette smoke, RIA Novosti reported.
The bill, submitted by lawmakers from St. Petersburg, stipulates a fine of up to 1,500 rubles ($50) for individuals and up to 30,000 rubles for officials who smoke hookahs in public places.
Smoking hookahs is becoming increasingly popular among the youth in Europe and the US. Hookahs, also known as shishas, are considered safer as smoke is filtered through water before being inhaled.
St. Petersburg legislature Speaker Vadim Tulpanov said that contrary to popular belief among waterpipe smokers, the concentration of harmful substances in shisha smoke is hundreds of times higher than in cigarette smoke.
Tatyana Yakovleva, a senior lawmaker of the United Russia faction in the Duma, said the bill may get enough support in parliament.
She said non-smokers should be protected from passive shisha smoke, which has an effect similar to passive cigarette smoke.
World Heath Organization studies said that even after passing through water, tobacco smoke still contains high levels of toxic compounds. Hookah smoking also delivers significant levels of nicotine, the main addictive substance in tobacco.
- As hookah becomes in, it raises health concerns (Lifestyle Feature) - May 06, 2012
- Nicotine-containing hookah an unhealthy hit among youngsters - May 11, 2010
- City Councilman 'calls for ban on creation of new hookah bars' - Oct 25, 2010
- Shisha 'as bad as ciggies' - Apr 27, 2010
- Hookah use common among college students - Apr 06, 2011
- Beware! Passive smoking riskier than you think (May 31 is World No Tobacco Day) - May 30, 2012
- Smoking tobacco through waterpipe as harmful as puffing on cigarette - Dec 03, 2009
- We Need A Lifetime Of No Tobacco, And Not Merely A Day - May 28, 2010
- Ashley Cole shows off new lover while puffing hookah at London club - Mar 14, 2011
- Ukraine introduces ban on public smoking - May 25, 2012
- Hookahs more dangerous than cigarettes - May 30, 2010
- Public Smoking All Set To Be Banned In Spain - Oct 21, 2010
- How cigarette smoke affects smokers - Apr 07, 2011
- Beware, smoking damages your body within minutes - Jan 16, 2011
- Shisha pipes 'as injurious to health as cigarettes' - Aug 25, 2009
Tags: addictive substance, cigarette smoke, contrary to popular belief, duma, harmful substances, hundred times, lawmaker, organization studies, ria novosti, rubles, russian lawmakers, shisha smoke, shishas, smoking in public, smoking in public places, tobacco smoke, toxic compounds, vadim, world heath organization, youth in europe