Some of the worst air quality levels on record on the East Coast are impacting consumer shopping patterns and driving air purifier stocks higher. People are rushing to buy air filters, humidifiers and high-quality masks on Amazon amid Canadian wildfires that have smothered large swaths of the United States in a thick plume of toxic smoke, leading to orange skies, a burnt taste in the air and advisories to stay inside. Fine particles from the smoke can make their way indoors.
Shares of Carrier Global, which makes residential and industrial air purifiers and HVAC units, have gained nearly 11% over the past five days. Johnson Controls, which has a number of air filters on the market, has also seen its stock price soar. Shares are up by 8.5% over a five-day period. The air purifier market is poised to grow as climate change increases air pollution and exacerbates breathing difficulties.