12:57 PM ET June 8, 2023
Amazon sees sales of masks and air purifiers rise as smoke settles in the Northeast
By CNN’s Nicole Goodkind and Nathaniel Meyersohn
People are rushing to buy air filters, humidifiers and high-quality masks on Amazon amid Canadian wildfires that have engulfed large parts of the United States in a thick cloud of toxic smoke, leading to orange skies, a burning taste in the air and stay-in advisories.
Fine smoke particles can penetrate indoors. Air purifiers can be helpful in filtering out pollution.
As of Thursday morning, air filters were the biggest gainers in sales for tools and home improvement products on Amazon over the past 24 hours. Levoit Humidifier was the third biggest gainer in sales. N95 and KN95 masks have also risen on Amazon’s sales charts.
Google searches for air purifiers have increased 16-fold since Monday, according to Google Trends. It is still unclear when the smoke will disperse over the United States in general, as prevailing winds push the haze across the country.
Companies see inventory increases: Whirlpool, one of the largest manufacturers of home goods in the world, saw its inventory rise by 13.2% over the past five days and by 6.4% on Wednesday alone. The company says its HEPA purifiers can remove up to 99.97% of bad particles from the air.
Shares of Carrier Global, which makes residential and industrial air purifiers and HVAC units, have risen nearly 11% over the past five days.
Johnson Controls, which has a large number of air filters on the market, also saw its share price jump. The stock is up 8.5% over the five-day period.
The air purifier market is poised for growth as climate change increases air pollution and worsens breathing difficulties. The Market Insights report predicts that the industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 10.8% to $2.9 billion by 2025 and $4.8 billion by 2030.
