Did you know that in the Do you use? Just like smoking cigarettes, the use of such tobacco products is addictive and presents serious health risks. A new sensation which has grown in popularity rapidly amongst young people is the smoking of “Shisha” or water pipe. It has become a social occasion like going to the movies or going out for a meal. Young people will plan and go out to cafes for a smoke and to relax. Parents may allow young children to participate as they think it is a safe alternative to cigarette smoking when in fact one full shisha session can contain the same amount of smoke as up to 100 cigarettes. To raise awareness of the impact of using these tobacco products, and the harm caused to health, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service was at the Millen Care Day Centre in Batley to inform service users of the harms of these types of tobacco. Shahed Mayet centre manager of Millen Care thought it was essential for their service users to be told about the harms of tobacco as some service users have mentioned that these products are commonly used in their community and have been for more than 30 years without knowing the harms of these products. Some of them also had grandchildren who were using Shisha and wanted the information so they could pass it on to them. Graham Hebblethwaite, Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, said “This is a growing concern in Councillor Mohan Sokal, of the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Committee said “We need to understand our communities in relation to their tobacco use and have a social responsibility to help them make educated choices as to what products they use. I am pleased to see that this partnership is taking an active role in highlighting the dangers to health and would encourage anyone who would like to find out more information to contact Trading Standards.’ If you would like more information about specific niche tobacco products you can log on to http://www.ntpd.lacors.gov.uk/lacors/core/page.do?pageId=154062 http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/smokeless Contact Numbers - All tobacco enquires - 0800 022 4 332 Urdu – 0800 169 0 881 Punjabi - 0800 169 0 882 Hindi - 0800 169 0 883 Gujarati - 0800 169 0 884 Bengali - 0800 169 0 885 If you would like more information or would like us to deliver training sessions or workshops regarding the effects of niche tobacco please contact Babul Hussain at Trading Standards on 0113 393 9816. Anyone wanting information on support to stop tobacco use should contact Bradford and Airedale Stop Smoking Service 01274 202793 or Kirklees Stop Smoking Service on 01924 351498 or 01484 344285.
To make a consumer complaint contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or click here and use the online form.