Air purifiers in Bangkok run 'out of stock' as toxic smog grips Thailand

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, signaling growing opportunities for purifier makers such as Sharp Corp. or mask manufacturer 3M Co.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 Pcl and Home Product Center Pcl, are also unable to keep up with demand. Berli’s Chief Executive Officer 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 startup monitoring firm IQAir AirVisual.