Medical organisations are calling on the South African government to regulate the use of Hubbly Bubbly, vaping, and other tobacco products amid concerns about misleading safety claims by manufacturers.
According to the organisations, Hubbly Bubbly and vaping are widely promoted as being less harmful, when they are, in fact, dangerous.
“We know that there are a lot of promotions going out there from tobacco companies to promote the fact that vaping or smoking Hubbly Bubbly is safe. Unfortunately, it is not safe. We are very worried about the Hubbly Bubbly, also known as Hookah pipe which is very popular among the youth. So yes, it would be good if one can regulate it,” says a member of the South African Medical Association in Gauteng, Dr Angelique Coetzee.
Coetzee adds, “We also see that the initial success of the legislation of the past 20 years such as Tobacco Product Control Amendment Act 12 of 1999, actually led to a 30% decrease in smoking amongst school learners. Unfortunately, they were targeted by the companies with vaping and the hubbly bubbly. we need to make you aware that tobacco is no less toxic in a hookah pipe than in any other tobacco product.”
Experts also dispel myths that many hubbly smokers believe, such as why other smokers end up in hospital.
A Medical Doctor at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital, Dr Norman Mabote says, “There is a popular belief that the water in the pipe filters the nicotine that is found in tobacco, but on the contrary, you get more nicotine while smoking hubbly than with a regular cigarette smoking.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale says problems will end when Parliament passes the Tobacco Control Bill which seeks to ban the indirect marketing of tobacco products.
“The department has noted the marketing tactics by the tobacco industry to promote vaping products and e-cigarettes targeting mainly young people, offering a variety of products and flavours. The government has initiated several interventions to reduce the demand for tobacco and related products. This includes a total ban on direct and indirect tobacco advertising, through a proposed Tobacco Control Bill currently before Parliament. However, due to loopholes in the current law, such continues.”
Some experts are also calling for more research to be done, to determine the extent to which hubbly bubbly has been affecting the health of its smokers, to save lives.
