French startup to launch scarf which filters out pollution

A French startup has developed a product to help those affected by air pollution across the world.

Wair’s scarf is touted as a fashion accessory and air filtration system that users can wear to help avoid the dangers that air pollution poses.

The product was showcased at CES 2017 and raised over €30,000 during its crowdfunding campaign.

The scarf uses a multilayer filtration system that stops microparticles such as pollens, gasses and bacteria.

Wearers can use the company’s Supairman app to assess the pollution rate where they live. The app lets users know whether they need to wear the Wair scarf, avoid particularly polluted areas and offers tips on living in the city. The app also lets wearers know when to change the filter in the Wair.

According to the European Environment Agency’s (EAA) Air Quality in Europe 2016 report, around 430,000 people died prematurely due to air pollution. The report states that air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe.

Common reasons for premature death attributed to air pollution include heart disease, stroke, lung diseases and lung cancer. The report states that those who live in polluted areas and are exposed to higher levels of air pollution suffer more.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) released a list of cities which are particularly affected by air pollution. Cities in Iran, India and Saudi Arabia topped the list and had high levels of PM 2.5 particles. PM 2.5 particles are dangerous to humans as they are small enough to reach the lungs and can cause respiratory conditions and lung damage.