Restaurant owner Samantha DiStefano looks over an air purifier in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. The spread of smoke from wildfires across Canada in recent weeks has meant an uptick in demand for air quality products. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Kathy Willens
TORONTO – The spread of smoke from wildfires across Canada in recent weeks has prompted an uptick in demand for air purifiers.
Manufacturers and distributors say it appears Canadians are looking for ways to keep the air in their homes or workplaces clean from the pollutants that have coloured skies grey and orange from the fires.
Mario Angeloni, director at Reliance Home Comfort, says the company has received 50 per cent more information requests for air quality products this week.
Air purifiers made up 11 of Amazon Canada’s top 50 bestsellers in the home products category on Thursday, while companies such as Home Depot and Rona say they are also seeing more sales of purifiers and filters.
Kelsey Hei, a senior application engineer at 3M, says people often don’t realize the level of pollution in their homes until it becomes more visible due to an event such as a wildfire.
She says high-efficiency filters and purifiers have become more commonplace in recent years due to the increased prevalence of smoky conditions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.
