Health experts have raised serious concerns about the growing number of women smoking shisha.

They said they are seeing more and more cases of women with respiratory disorders because of the habit and urged smokers - especially those who are pregnant - to give up ‘hubbly bubbly’, as shisha is commonly known.

The call comes as the UAE prepares for ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on May 31, when people are being encouraged to stop smoking for 24 hours.

Many smokers think shisha is healthier than cigarettes, but the UAE Ministry of Health said an hour of shisha was equivalent to smoking 70 cigarettes.

Dr Bassam Mahboub, a chest physician and vice chairman of the Emirates Respiratory Society, a government funded organisation, said: “Shisha smoking is a big thing for ladies to do and shows that the health risks of smoking are not just about cigarettes.” He said that the exact number of women smoking shisha wasn’t known, as many only smoke at home. But he added that the society was conducting research to discover the full extent of the problem. And he warned that unless action is taken, cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - a debilitating respiratory illness almost solely assoc-iated with smoking - would soar among females in the next five to ten years. He said quit smoking clinics need to be set up in all women’s health centres and maternity hospitals.

The Ministry of Health agreed shisha smoking was growing among women.

But, officials said the ministry was working on a new tobacco law, which is awaiting approval and would regulate smoking in the UAE.

Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of the ministry’s Tobacco Control Team, told 7DAYS that women are setting a bad example to their children by smoking shisha. “Many women are smoking shisha in social gatherings and parties. It is bad for their health and more dangerous than cigarettes.  “Pregnant women will have a lot of problems and will expose their unborn babies to smoke,” she said. “Women are exposing their children to second hand smoking. There is a danger that children might acquire this habit from their mother and lead the same lifestyle.”

A shisha cafe manager at Al Garhoud said that his business gets around ten to 15 female customers every day. “I think they do it for fun and sit for about two hours smoking shisha,” he said.

Dubai Municipality has recently tightened the laws surrounding shisha cafes, moving them out of residential areas.