Enterprising individuals have taken advantage of the shortage by selling Shigematsu masks on Taobao with high mark-ups. (Photo : Getty Images)
As the smog problem worsens, citizens are desperately looking for remedies for its possible health impacts. But China's top drug authority has warned its citizens of the risks of using these unregulated medical devices.
Red alerts were triggered in more than 20 cities earlier this month due to severe smog.
"The root cause of the region's smog problems, from a long-term perspective, is the unclean industrial and energy mix, which require big changes," said Chen Jining, China's minister of environmental protection.
While the more well-off section of Chinese society can afford to go on "smog escapes" in overseas locations such as Iceland and Antarctica, the masses of citizens are looking for other remedies to help fight off the health risks and impacts of the heavy smog.
"Some people are promoting medical equipment online claiming to be 'smog busters' and to 'purify smog' and some illegally sold oxygen generators and portable oxygen respirators, taking advantage of smoggy days," said the China Food and Drug Administration in a statement released online.
Nowadays, oxygen generators have been growing popular with citizens living in smog-plagued locations. This medical equipment is depicted as 'health saviors' which can protect users from smog and produce 90 percent pure oxygen.
The CFDA encouraged people to read relevant information on medical equipment, which is available on the government agency's website. They added that citizens should help in reporting illegal activities to relevant departments.
Meanwhile, another product called the 'anti-smog tea' has also become popular. The tea is promoted by sellers as a remedy that will clean the lungs amid the heavy smog.
According to Liu Quangqing, president of the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the tea is unreliable and may even cause additional health risks.
With citizens now resorting to unregulated remedies to fight off the smog, it shows the dire state of air pollution in China. It is clear that the government has some serious work to do in order to control and reduce the problem.
