Precaution

The Nanjing-based e-commerce platform Suning.com sold about 1 million face masks last year. The increase was most noticeable in November and December. The number of face masks distributed by the online shop's Nanjing warehouse every day increased by three times throughout November. The situation intensified in December. Face masks labeled 3M that can prevent PM2.5 particles were the most popular, with about 50,000 sold in just one week.

In addition, Suning.com sold some 200,000 air purifiers in 2013, up 300 percent year-on-year. Sales reached their peak in late November, when the number surged by 500 percent year-on-year. The items priced between 3,000 to 4,000 yuan each sold the most.

Air purifiers were no doubt the most popular home appliances sold on JD.com last year. The sales of air purifiers surged exponentially by 420 percent on JD.com to reach about 1 billion yuan last year.

First-tier cities witnessed the largest sales of air purifiers. They rose by 636 percent in Beijing and 580 percent in Shanghai year-on-year. Zhuang Jia, general manager of the home appliances department of JD.com predicted that the sales of air purifiers will at least triple in 2014 to exceed 3 billion yuan.

Concerned by the deteriorating air quality, people's health awareness has been on the rise, especially among those under the age of 35. Sales of water purifiers increased by 210 percent in the northern parts of China, JD.com reported.

The number of chronic-disease patients, especially those with respiratory illnesses, will increase rapidly in 2014, according to the Development Trend of the Healthcare Industry in China released by consulting firm Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in late December last year.

"The continuous fog and hazy weather, which was one of the most hotly discussed topics in China last year, will become an important factor affecting the Chinese health care industry in 2014," said Bruce Liu, a partner at Roland Berger and head of the healthcare competence center of Roland Berger Greater China.