This might be of interest to those of you concerned about the pollution in Taiwan.
I moved to Taiwan two years ago and was immediately hit by asthma due to the terrible pollution. It shocked me that most people here wrongly believe surgery and cloth masks offer any protection!
After some research I settled for Vogmask as the best option against pollution. The problem is I had to buy them from abroad, which is not the most convenient (or cheapest). Not happy with that, I took it upon myself to get Vogmask distributed in Taiwan. Together with a Taiwanese friend, it has taken us 6 months of work, but we have just finally opened the official online store:
It is also in our plans to distribute Vogmask products to physical stores. Where would you like to see them? Would you rather just buy them online?
If there is enough interest from you Forumosans here, we can run some exclusive promotion for users of the forum. Let me know your feelings about it!
Regarding the problem of pollution in Taiwan:
In my opinion, pollution is the biggest real threat to the health of people living in Taiwan. It is easy to imagine why the first Portuguese who found Taiwan named it the Beautiful island, but these days that beauty is covered in smog that only briefly goes away when typhoons strike. Most Taiwanese are not even aware of the problem. Sadly, if nobody cares about it, it will never improve. How would you raise awareness among Taiwanese? Opening the Vogmask store is just a little first step. I will come up with other ideas against pollution.
I use ānose mask pitā in-nose filters when the air is really bad and a home made filter at home. While I canāt say itās super comfortable, it is 99% invisible. And you can easily get it in Taiwan.
Buy them from yahoo. The instructions state that each one can be used for 5 days if you wash it twice a day. But as someone who doesnāt bother putting it [strike]on[/strike] in unless I plan to be out for at least half an hour, one pack of 3 lasts over a month.
A friend pointed me to these in-nose filters before. As someone who needs to wear Vogmask daily, I was curious enough to do some research on them as an alternative.
There are a number of brands from Japan, Korea and Taiwan making these. They are all accompanied by really pretty marketing materials, but no certification or independent laboratory testing results. It takes some good faith to believe their promises (go shopping in Japan and next shelf from in-nose filters you might find cookies that claim to enlarge your breasts). We should take health protection more seriously.
There is the issue of the mouth as well. In-nose filters offer 0% protection for any air inhaled through your mouth (sorry about stating such obvious thing). Mouth breathing varies by individual and activity, but it can be a significant amount.
As much as I wish these things worked as promised, I would not currently recommend them. In my opinion, they offer a false sensation of protection, not unlike surgery and cloth masks. Otherwise, rest assured I would have a category for in-nose filters in my store!
Regarding air filtration at home, there is a fantastic air purifier made by 3M that is 4,000nt and quite silent. Original replacement filters are cheap too. This single device makes every other air purificator north of 10,000nt a real rip-off!
I absolutely love Vogmask.
They are the brand I trust, I used my vogmask daily when I was living in Beijing.
Maybe because I am coming from Beijing, but I donāt think the pollution is bad here. However,if I was to ever buy and start riding a scooter, Iād definitely be wearing a mask.
Most Taiwanese are not aware of the pollution issue, or think that wearing a surgical mask is enough to stay protected. Other people simply ignore the problem, as if that would make it go away.
The situation in Taiwan is certainly not as bad as it is in some parts of China, but it is bad nonetheless. As of today, a look at aqicn.org - Taiwan air quality map shows that most of Taiwanās west coast is exposed to unhealthy pollution levels (AQI US 150+).
We are trying our best to educate people about pollution and how to stay protected from it. Any help spreading the message will be appreciated
Making people aware of the problem is the first step to start solving it. It will take time, effort, and some sacrifices, but I hope to see the day when nobody in Taiwan will need to wear Vogmask anymore.
There are all kinds of people in Taiwan. We can only try to reach as many people as possible. The more people understand the pollution problem, the more we can expect measures and actions against it.
When I bought my first Vogmask I was just one person. I decided to make Vogmask easily available to all Taiwanese, and now many persons are using it everyday in Taiwan to protect their health. It is a small change, but it is a necessary first step.
Wearing Vogmask or riding an electric scooter such as Gogoro are statements against pollution. By offering these choices, more people get directly involved in the issue. Some of these people will come up with their own new ideas. Slowly, things will change.
This is what effecting change means to me. Anyway, we could have a whole different thread just to discuss about that.
Bought my first Vogmask today. The staff looked at me and said āVogmaskā. I asked how do you know? They said every foreigner that comes in is looking for Vogmask
They are officially certified effective for PM 2.5 plus other small particles. Better than N95 masks at N99 and filters on average 99% of particulate matter such as PM2.5, allergens and bacteria. Read up on the internet if you want details. Good for 5-6 months in Taipei and for comparison 2-3 months in Beijing. Clean by hand.
Not easy to find and only a few shops in Taipei. The website showed this shop where I bought some. Not a huge selection but nice enough.
That was amusing. At least foreigners in Taiwan seem to have got their priorities right
You mentioned 2 interesting details. I want to add some info:
Spot on. We keep adding retailers throughout Taiwan here and there, but they are never enough. If there is a particular store near you where you would like to buy Vogmask from, I suggest you go ahead and tell them about us. Tell them to contact us about becoming our retailer. Many stores would be happy to sell our products, they just do not know about Vogmask yet.
True as well. Retail stores, like everything else in Taiwan, have quite limited space. Our retailers usually only carry a few of the most popular designs, in all sizes. Still, it is useful for some people to be able to see the real thing when they are buying Vogmask for the first time. If you want to choose from a larger range, you can always buy from the official online store. Most orders get delivered in under 24 hours, and shipping fee can be waived.
For any of you using Vogmask already, what reactions do you get from local people? In my experience, they usually donāt get that it is actual protection. Most people think itās just a fancier mask.
Talking about fancy, am I the only one who finds it puzzling when seeing a woman in Taipei wearing 12,000nt in shoes, a 6,000nt hairstyle, expensive make-upā¦ and then a 15nt disposable surgical mask to cover her face? Is it just me??? We have all those fancy designs, but our best seller is the solid black oneā¦
Opening the Vogmask store is just a little first step. I will come up with other ideas against pollution.
