Air purifier sales have soared as seasonal cancer-causing smog plagues Thailand.

Shoppers have begun buying the gadgets amid a rise in the levels of the toxic PM2.5 particles from agricultural fires since December.

The World Health Organisation puts the safe level of PM 2.5 at 5 microgrammes per cubic metre of air but in the Thai capital, the levels have consistently been more than fifteen times higher every day in recent weeks.

Aswin Techajareonvikul, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Big C Supercenter supermarket chain, said: 'Many households have to buy air purifiers to filter dust. As a result, sales of air purifiers in all our department stores nationwide grew by more than 100 per cent compared to the same period last year.'

Meanwhile, household appliance company Dyson reported that Thailand's air pollution ranked sixth in Asia and 11th in the world, based on data gathered from 2.5 million Dyson air purifiers from 2022 and 2023.

Matt Jennings, Engineering Director at Dyson, said the PM2.5 level inside buildings in Thailand measured an average of 14.7 micrograms per cubic metre, which is nearly more than double the standard level set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land due to it being cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

They warned hospitals in December 2023 to prepare for an influx of patients.

It came as researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, also discovered that long-term exposure to particulate matter PM.25 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai, Thailand, died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health say PM 2.5 increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

While medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.