Oxygen tanks, purifier sales spike as haze crisis hits South-east Asia
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Air purifier retailers said sales had jumped since air quality levels started to dip in August amid the haze.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
- Toxic haze from Indonesian wildfires has raised demand for oxygen tanks and air purifiers across South-east Asia, as families try to protect indoor air and health.
- AA Alive in Kuala Lumpur said oxygen tank sales rose 35%, while patients and technicians described shorter equipment life and breathing problems from the haze.
- Experts warn repeated haze exposure may harm children and future health, while retailers Courts and Gain City reported sales jumps of 600% and nine times higher.
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KUALA LUMPUR – Toxic haze from wildfires burning in Indonesia has spiked demand for oxygen tanks and air purifiers across the region, manufacturers say, as they work around the clock to produce equipment that provides life-saving clean air.
A months-long haze has blanketed parts of South-east Asia, forcing school closures and fuelling a rise in respiratory complaints. Families are now rushing to buy devices to keep indoor air clean.
At AA Alive, a medical equipment company based just outside Kuala Lumpur, employees were working at full capacity to deliver oxygen bottles, with officials saying sales were rocketing.
“We have seen a 35% increase in sales because of the haze,” Rafina Firdaus, a member of AA Alive’s sales team, told AFP during a visit. “When I started in the industry, I was shocked to see so many patients who need oxygen tanks.”
The company supplies patients with both oxygen tanks and oxygen concentrators.
An oxygen tank can run for about three hours of continuous use, while a concentrator can be used for about 24 hours.
Md Noor Bin Bujang, 69, spent more than a month in hospital and received his first oxygen concentrator on the evening of Oct 15.
He told AFP that without the oxygen-providing equipment, he would have “a shortness of breath, especially with the haze”.
Mubassar Khan, a 26-year-old AA Alive technician, said an oxygen concentrator’s filter is normally replaced after 1,000 hours of use, but pollutants from the haze have halved its lifespan.
AA Alive currently delivers around 40 rental units per day, and Firdaus said the company was able to meet the increased demand caused by the haze because it had “already experienced it every year”.
AFP journalists saw close to 60 oxygen concentrators and around 20 oxygen tanks due for servicing or replacement at the company’s showroom and warehouse.
‘Sharp surge’
Experts warn that prolonged exposure to haze pollutants could cause harmful inflammation in the body, with one classifying the situation as a “multi-system public health threat”.
Juliana Jalaludin, a professor specialising in environmental health at Universiti Putra Malaysia, told AFP that she was worried future generations could “experience a higher burden of respiratory illnesses if they are repeatedly exposed to haze and air pollution, particularly during childhood”.
“The key is to reduce exposure now to protect children’s health and prevent long-term consequences for future generations,” she said.
Air purifier retailers, meanwhile, said sales had jumped since air quality levels began to dip in August amid the haze.
“Recently, we have seen a 600% increase in sale volume of air purifier sales... from Sept 28 to Oct 12, compared with the same period last year,” regional consumer electronics retailer Courts said in a statement.
“Customers are becoming more conscious of indoor air quality and are actively exploring solutions to maintain a healthier and more comfortable home environment,” a Courts spokesperson told AFP.
Singapore-based retailer Gain City said it had also seen “a significant increase in air-purifier demand”.
“Demand began picking up in recent weeks, with a particularly sharp surge from Oct 9. Sales have since risen to nine times the level recorded at the start of the haze season in August,” the company said. AFP