Pollution Masks For China

The most insane thing about modern China may be the fact that it’s not out of the ordinary, strange, or conspicuous to walk through city streets wearing a mask. The Chinese wear these masks for many reasons, one is to filter out pollution. 2013 has so far been a record year for air pollution in China, and throughout the country the air quality indexes are often showing readings in the hazardous category. The air has been so bad this year that it’s almost normal to not be able to see the building on the other side of the street. This is also a country wide problem, not just a phenomenon in Beijing, Shanghai, or in other big cities.

So if you’re planning on coming to China or are here already, it’s probably a good idea to equip yourself with a good pollution mask.

Watch the video below

I wrote to the Respro company, whose motto is “Urban survival equipment,” explaining the situation with the air pollution in China. They specialize in manufacturing respirator for all types of polluted environments — from motocross racing to living in big smoggy cities — and they had just the thing to ease my woes here in China. They promptly sent me one of their allergy masks, and the air has been a lot fresher ever since.

This mask will become a standard part of my travel rig, and I will take it with me wherever I go. The fact of the matter is that in travel you’re often in situations where you have to breath in toxins or otherwise bad air. I’m thinking of riding in buses, cars, and trucks with faulty exhaust systems here as well as cities whose streets are clogged with vehicles with two stroke engines spewing smoke everywhere. Yes, this Respro mask will be a clutch thing to have in many places in the world.

This mask sells for £32.99, and can be purchased here. Respro ships to anywhere in the world free of charge, and delivery time to China is around one week.