Bangkok is running out of air purifiers as toxic smog crisis chokes Thai capital
- Last week, Thai authorities shut hundreds of schools after a sharp drop in air quality
- Weather patterns, vehicle fumes, construction dust and the burning of trash have been blamed
Every time Bangkok fruit seller Veerachai Roopsuwanakul tries to buy an air purifier, he gets the same response: “Out of stock.”
“We never imagined the air could get so bad,” said Veerachai, who now wears a face mask to filter out dust. “We can’t find a purifier in shops or online.”
The Thai capital is grappling with a second year of spiking seasonal air pollution, prompting people to snap up so many filters and masks that supplies are dwindling. Residents fear a long battle lies ahead to keep the toxic smog at bay, signalling growing opportunities for purifier makers such as Sharp or mask manufacturer 3M in the city of roughly 10 million people.
“As you can see from our websites and stores, our air purifiers are all sold out,” said Yol Phokasub, president of Central Group, which owns Thailand’s top developer of shopping malls.
Other local retailers, such as Berli Jucker and Home Product Centre, are also unable to keep up with demand. Berli’s CEO Aswin Techajareonvikul said the firm is looking for new suppliers of pollution masks.
Last week, Thai authorities shut hundreds of schools after a sharp drop in air quality. Bangkok at one point had the fourth-worst smog globally among major cities, based on an index compiled by start-up monitoring firm IQAir AirVisual.
