Dust masks sell out as smog shrouds Chinese cities

BEIJING - Persistent smog in eastern and central China so far this month has led to a surge in sales of dust masks and air cleaners, China Securities Journal reported on Friday.

Twenty-five provincial-level regions have been suffering smoggy weather, including the cities of Hangzhou and Nanjing, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Drugstores have sold out of dust masks and air cleaners are being snapped up online, the report said.

Demand for masks is outstripping supply. For a certain type of dust mask, nearly 20,000 were sold out within a week in eastern China, the report said, citing a director of Suning E-go, an online shopping platform.

Sales of air cleaning machines in the second half of November surged, increasing 680 percent year on year, according to the report.

An employee at Gome, a Chinese electronics retailer, said machines ranging from 3,000 yuan ($490.2) to 4,000 yuan are most popular. As air pollution worsens during winter, sales of air cleaners are expected to increase.

The report predicated that for 2015, the annual output value of indoor environmental protection industries could reach 80 trillion yuan. Related companies are also expected to make considerable profit.

Analyst said some listed companies of environmental monitoring and air purification will also benefit from the sales boom. The smog has strengthened concept stocks, and the capital market is likely to chase "green" or environmental protection stocks.