as air worsens, new delhi turns to masks. the flashier the better. - the best car air purifier

NEW DELHI —
This is not just a sweater that kindergarten children wear when they fall from the classroom on the lawn of the American Embassy School in the Indian capital.
They also wear masks.
According to the World Health Organization, schools do not require students to wear air filtration masks to deal with the polluted air here, which is the worst in the world.
But it creates what its directors call the "culture of acceptance" of wearing them ".
This helps them adopt wild prints produced by a San Francisco company, many of which come from fabrics from India's top fashion designer Manish Arora's spring/summer collection this year.
The campus store "Tiger Nest" sold 800 units this school year alone.
Expatriates and health
Conscious Indians are leading this trend, and residents of the Delhi metropolitan area, with a population of 25 million, have finally taken steps to protect themselves from health --
People in Beijing and other heavily polluted Asian cities have done so.
New Delhi has long been shrouded in smog, but concerns have escalated in early 2014. H. O.
New Delhi ranked worst.
Then the US embassy began to disclose its air pollution data.
The government pollution committee has stepped up efforts to continuously measure and report the results of the investigation.
"The catalyst is that the data becomes available," says Paul Chmelik, director of the American school . ".
The elite private School Shri Ram School canceled the sports meeting this winter because intense activity is considered unsafe in such polluted air.
The Delhi High Court has asked the government to take action to improve the air, saying that living in New Delhi is like "living in a gas chamber ".
"On January, the government restricted private cars in New Delhi to two days in two days. week test.
Unexpectedly, the city's famous illegal drivers actually followed the plan.
The government plans to repeat driving rules in April.
Air purifiers from $50 to $1,000 have been removed.
An Indian entrepreneur has been selling high prices.
Finally, the designer air mask in the Khan Market, one of the most expensive retail areas in the world.
When Jai Dhar Gupta, the owner of the store, began selling the masks in January 2015, he estimated that his annual sales would reach 10,000.
He sold so much in nine days.
A New Delhi native who once owned a call center company in San Francisco
Gupta suffered from severe respiratory illness during marathon training in 2014, and did not recover until he began using the air filtration mask made by the Vogel mask.
A year ago, he became an Indian distributor of the company.
This winter, he says, he sells 500 to 700 masks per day from two retail stores in the New Delhi area, as well as school stores and one website.
According to the company, the masks were installed properly, filtering out 99% of the air particles and being certified as personal protective equipment by Chinese and Korean government agencies.
Wog masks have been making masks in South Korea since 2012, and plans to start making masks in India this year.
They are reusable, made of patented fabric and retail for about $35, which is out of reach for most Indians.
Early adopters included foreign companies and non-profit organizations.
This winter, the New Delhi Red Cross office purchased masks for all employees.
Abid Malik, who works there, wears a mask while jogging.
"I have been coughing before using it," he said . ".
"I feel much better now.
Surendra Singh, 49, got an air filter mask when his non-profit company distributed air filter masks to all 30 employees this winter.
"We are all very scared about the air," he said . ".
He asked for a black mask of two air filters, which was advertised as the best design for an active crowd and wore it while he was on three buses to and from work.
One rainy morning last month, he was the only one on the bus with his nose and mouth covered.
This has made him the subject of intense curiosity and attention from those who still generally doubt masks.
When asked why they were staring at him, most people said they were worried that he was sick, perhaps tuberculosis.
Others say they suspect he is mentally ill.
"Is he crazy to wear that mask? ” asked a 24-year-
Soru Kumar, old BarberAs Mr.
Singh got off the bus and began walking through a pedestrian bridge in the early morning drizzle to his office. year-
An old student named Liaqat Ali was crowded with dozens of passengers under the bus shelter and kept staring at them.
"I think he may be very ill. if he doesn't wear a mask, he will die . "Ali said.
This attitude limits the sales of Vogel masks in India.
Said founder Wendover Brown.
Her sales in China are four times that in the US.
At American schools, the government held a forum to discuss pollution, set up a committee to develop an action plan, and asked the campus store to store masks.
A year ago, there were a few masked people in school, but now most students wear masks.
She sent her child to school with a mask on her face and a elastic band so that the mask could be hung indoors around her neck.
For many children, the severe demand at the beginning has become a fashion accessory, she said.
"There's something fun and cool that kids want to wear," she said . ".
Another mother said that after her daughter defended them, she bought the children for them, arguing that other children had them.
When the particle level reaches the hazardous range, the school has developed a policy prohibiting students from performing aerobic activities without wearing protective masks.
This led the women's university football team to order masks for the entire team this month.