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Bangkok Is Running Out of Air Purifiers as Toxic Smog Grips Thailand

  • Purifiers by firms such as Sharp, masks by 3M in high demand
  • Startup monitoring app racked up millions of Bangkok users
Festival goers wearing face masks due to pollution celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Bangkok’s Chinatown on Feb. 5.

Festival goers wearing face masks due to pollution celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Bangkok’s Chinatown on Feb. 5.

Photographer: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

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."