in the dirtiest cities, air pollution forces life changes - living air purifier

The sky in Hanoi is often covered with a thick layer of toxic smoke, limiting visibility less than a mile away.
When pollution in Beijing becomes very serious, children are locked up at home for school or restricted to the classroom during recess.
In Shanghai, a mother said it was difficult for her children to wear protective masks.
Readers of The New York Times, who live in the world's most polluted cities, share with us how they face toxic smoke.
Here are the options for more than 100 responses received.
Edited and condensed.
Some readers say they check for more air pollution than the weather, while others say they are lucky to be able to afford expensive air purifiers for their families.
What experience do you have in air pollution?
We invite you to share your experience in the comments.
Please include where you live.
Lina Farrow, 37, Suzhou, China.
All our activities are planned around the level of air pollution.
Checking the level of contamination every morning is routine, which determines what we do and how we do it, especially on weekends.
I have young children and it's hard to explain why we can't go out so they can ride a motorcycle or play football in the park.
On days when the pollution is serious but not terrible, we have to take the children to the game area in the shopping center instead of going outdoors.
Terri Schwartzbeck, 41, is in Beijing.
We pay more attention to children aged 6 and 10 and take advantage of the "good air Day ". e.
Tell the children to play and exercise outdoors, because it is the fact of life to stay indoors when the air is not good.
If the air quality index reaches a certain level, there are restrictions in all international schools, which means that children must play indoors during recess and lunch.
It signals two bells instead of one.
The children know to listen to those two bells.
Wu Yifan, 22, Nanjing, China.
I have been a victim of allergic rhinitis since I moved from the suburbs to the city.
My nose felt bad when the smog appeared.
I can't even breathe.
I was also very upset when the city was shrouded in smoke.
There is no change in my daily life.
However, as an illustrator, I do art in the hope that people keep an eye on the issue, not just complaining, trying to forget it and pretend it doesn't exist.
Panachayil Jacob Varughese, 33, trivanderam, India.
We purchased an air purifier that, although only in the bedroom, has been using it for the past few months.
We didn't buy more air filters because they were very expensive and we might have to think twice before putting the money there.
We also purchased special health insurance packages for the whole family.
If we have serious health problems, it will give us peace of mind.
Surabhi Srivastava, 26, New Delhi.
I now cover my nose and mouth with some sort of scarf every day, but in terms of protecting myself from the harmful air I breathe, it is more psychological than the actual benefits.
I would like to buy a mask and/or air purifier but they are expensive and while they may be useful in the short term, air pollution in New Delhi is a structural problem that requires a more comprehensive long termterm solution.
Presse Meller in Suzhou, China
I 've been checking the air quality and deciding if it's worth going out that day.
If I have to go to work, I will bite my teeth and go as fast as I can so that I can go to work with an air purifier.
I stayed here for more than 4 months and got sick almost every day.
Lise wag American cuisine in Beijing.
Due to my health, I will leave Beijing soon to move to Ningbo, East Zhejiang province.
I have been living in Beijing for the past six months and have felt the impact since the first week I moved here.
I have chronic chest pain and difficulty breathing every day.
I never realized the impact of pollution before moving to Beijing.
Beijing released its second
On Friday morning, just a week after the first morning, there was a dangerous red alert for air quality.
The current alert is a dangerous level starting on Saturday and ending at midnight on Tuesday.
Sun Tian, 14, is in Beijing.
We have about 30 people together, spend money in the classroom to buy air purifiers. We have two.
On the days when the smog is serious, we avoid going out.
We made sure the window was closed.
If I see an open window or door in the hallway, I will try to close it.
But some of the windows are too high for me to reach.
Sakshi Talwar, 31, is in New Delhi.
I was able to get around by bike in the early morning two years ago, but now it's impossible.
It feels like inhaling smoke.
The level of harmful fine particles known as pm2. 5.
5. in the winter months, prices in Delhi were significantly higher than in Beijing.
Michelle Chung, 23, grew up in New York and in Beijing.
We often take public transport, but for now, it is not worth long time to expose ourselves to the outside air.
My family don't open their windows anymore.
Ironically, there is no fresh air outside.
It comes from four air purifiers in every corner of our home.
A long time ago, they would go for a walk in the park next to our apartment or ride a bike on the street.
Dan Barkley, 35, Hanoi, Vietnam.
I would wear a mask outside, but some of the effects are unavoidable: headaches, throat inflammation, and lung pain.
Even with all the effort to seal leaking doors and windows, it is impossible to prevent all bad air from entering your house or office.
My wife and I became air.
Quality evangelist.
We often recommend masks or avoid certain activities to colleagues and friends.
Angela song, 28, is in Shanghai.
When I moved to Shanghai from Los Angeles for the first time, when I was riding a motorcycle, I didn't wear a mask and I used to be at 40-minute commute.
The mask really helped me later, but now my eyes are the biggest problem.
I'm not sure if the air pollution particles will affect my vision, but after a year and a half in Shanghai, my vision has deteriorated significantly.
My eyes are also very annoyed when I ride a motorcycle.
Nishika d silva, 22, is in Mumbai.
Colds and coughs become common to me every three to six weeks, not three to four times a year.
I wore a scarf to cover my nose and hair and chose to travel by plane --
As long as possible, there are conditional taxis or Uber, because it is terrible to take a rickshaw through traffic.
Mike DeAngelo, 29, is in Beijing.
I was even more depressed during the worst smog.
In the throes of the worst smog we suffered in Beijing a few weeks ago, we walked for five days where it looked like a nuclear winter.
Unfortunately, I learned not to take our blue sky for granted because they are exceptions, not rules.
I never thought about air quality before I moved to China.
I think a lot of people take clean air for granted. Nicole Scheffer.
McDaniel, 37, is in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
I am worried that my child will have health problems.
Many children get pneumonia and other respiratory diseases in winter.
I am afraid that my husband and I will have similar health problems, but my biggest concern is the residents of the ger district, where coal is burned in the town for a whole day and people can warm up.
People live in this pollution, but I was lucky enough to live in cleaner places in town.