The surge in popularity of shisha pipes has exposed loopholes in Hong Kong's anti-smoking laws, which is fooling people into believing the water pipes are a healthy alternative to cigarettes.
Instead, studies show an hour spent smoking shisha tobacco, which is generally mixed with molasses and fruit-flavoured, could be equal to smoking 100 cigarettes.
'Depending on the type of shisha tobacco, in one session the smoker can inhale the equivalent of 100 to 400 cigarettes,' said James Middleton, director of non-profit organisation Clear the Air, in an e-mail to the South China Morning Post.
One study carried out by Britain's Department of Health showed that carbon monoxide produced in an average shisha session, about 40 minutes, was four to five times higher than from one cigarette. High levels of carbon monoxide intake could cause brain damage and unconsciousness, the study stated.
The government seems to be unaware that the latest smoking trend is passing through its gates unregulated. Shisha tobacco is possibly neither taxed nor tested for tar and nicotine levels, with the Government Laboratory and the Customs and Excise Department failing to come up with evidence to the contrary.
Middleton said that meant shisha sold and smoked in Hong Kong was unregulated and illegal.
The government also had no figures on how many shisha bars there were in the city.