SHANGHAI IS USED to glowing tributes. It has won a reputation as a city with flair - from sleek office towers to fancy shopping centres and trendy night clubs. But some residents are wary of basking in the glow too long.
Expectant mothers are buying clothes that protect their unborn children from an unusual threat - the supposedly harmful effects of computers, mobile phones and other household appliances. These products are feared to be the source of potentially dangerous electromagnetic fields.
This craze is perhaps a sign of how affluence brings new worries. Perhaps it is a sign of some canny businessmen with a bright idea.
According to one manufacturer's claims, these clothes ward off low-level radiation and damaging electromagnetic waves that could be harmful to the unborn. One advertisement says that garments with their special anti-radiation ability woven into the fabric 'reduce electromagnetic radiation by a factor of 10,000' and this can help the customer limit the risk of leukaemia, birth defects and miscarriages.
'A research organisation has pointed out that for expecting mothers who use computers for more than 20 hours, they have an 80 per cent higher risk of having a miscarriage and the chance of birth defects is also greater.' It becomes more ominous.
The same manufacturer claims that these fields could 'disturb the central nervous system and disrupt normal nervous system functions, leading to dizziness, headaches, memory loss, the inability to sleep, frequent nightmares, brain cancer and other unexplained brain-related afflictions'. The scare tactics apparently have their effect, however.
'We get lots of women buying these products,' said a shop attendant at a major department store. 'They are very popular.' That appears to be an accurate assessment.