Dubai Municipality has said the new rule is non-negotiable.

It’s no secret that shisha is a very popular pastime in Dubai, with shisha cafes on most major streets in the city.

It’s also widely known that shisha smoke is in fact very toxic, and the habit is as unhealthy, if not more so than cigarette smoking. Because of this, Dubai Municipality has now banned pregnant women from entering the smoking areas of shisha cafes in Dubai.

Women who are expecting will now have to sit in the non-smoking areas, as will children and toddlers.

“This is not up for negotiation,” Marwan Al Mohammed, the director of the Public Health And Safety Department at Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News.

Those under the age of 18 are also not allowed in shisha areas according to the new rule. Remember, you have to be 20 to buy tobacco in Dubai.

Here’s an example of one of the posters from Dubai Municipality that shisha cafes are being asked to put up near their entrances:

. إدارة الصحة والسلامة تبدأ بإرسال رسائل إبداعية للتحذير من دخول النساء الحوامل والأطفال إلى المقاهي عن طريق الملصقات الإبداعية على أبواب جميع المقاهي في إمارة دبي بعبارات على لسان الجنين أو الطفل موجهه للوالدين… “التدخين اختيارك… وليس اختياري” The Public Health & Safety Department initiates a public service campaign to warn children & pregnant women from entering cafes with creative messages hung on all the cafes’ doors in Dubai. The messages will be addressed by the fetus or children & aimed towards the parents… “smoking is your choice… not mine” #دبي #بلدية_دبي #DubaiMunicipality #Dubai #mydubai

A photo posted by Dubai Municipality بلدية دبي (@dubaimunicipality) on

Dubai Municipality says the new rule will clear up any confusion for business owners, and the posters and official material from the government will show customers that this is now law and so they shouldn’t argue with business owners who ask them to leave a shisha area.

Health risks of shisha

– During an average cigarette smoke a person will take in about 20 puffs, however during an hour-long shisha session you may inhale the smoke over 200 times. This means, according to the Centre for Disease Control, that the volume of smoke inhaled is 90,000 milliliters per shisha, compared to the 500 or 600 milliltres inhaled when smoking a cigarette.

– The charcoal used to heat the tobacco produces smoke that contains high levels of carbon monoxide and metals, as well as cancer-causing toxins.

– Shisha smoke contains many of the same harmful toxins as cigarettes according to the CDC: these toxins have been associated with lung cancer, respiratory illness, low birth weight and periodontal disease.

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Photos: Getty & Dubai Municipality Facebook.