Thai locals have taken to wearing bras and underpants to cover their mouths as the stricken country runs out of face masks.

The capital Bangkok has been carpeted in a thick blanket of killer smog since Sunday - sparking health warnings and desperate attempts to make it rain.

But the toxic cloud, a mixture of fine particles that is eight times higher than safe levels, is expected to continue for at least another month amidst humid, stagnant weather.

Sales of N95 masks that block out the particles have soared and most shops are out of stock.

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A man on a moped rides through the city with half a bra covering his face in lieu of proper protection

Sales of N95 masks that block out the particles have soared, leaving many shops in the city out of stock

The chaotic situation has caused people to take to social media with pictures of their own improvised solutions to the toxic smog.

Bras have become a popular alternative and one man was seen with his wife's red bra strapped across his face while he rides a motorcycle.

Another woman placed a pair of green pants across her head to try and prevent the fumes from entering her lungs.

The responses came as Thai officials attempted to fight the smog by spraying water into the air.

It is believed that the 'artificial rain' will help to disperse the pollutants lingering in the sky.

A woman improvising with a pair of pants on her head held in place with sunglasses as she relaxes in a deck chair

But the bizarre method of tackling the pollution drew bemused responses from locals, who have been rushing to stock up on face masks to protect them from the smog.

While health agencies have also warned that the government is not taking the threat to health seriously.

Supat Wangwongwatana, former head of the country's Pollution Control Department, said: 'The measures implemented last year were the same as this year, and still the smog returned to about the same level.

'They weren't a solution, just temporary relief of the situation's severity.'

Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a medical lecturer at Chiang Mai University, said that the root cause of the pollution should be tackled.

He said: 'The authorities still do not realise the real dangers of air pollution, as they are very unlike imminent threats to people such as disasters and diseases, which can kill people instantly.

A man poses for the camera wearing a pair of y-fronts. Scores of Thai social media users have posted their innovative improvisations online

'The impacts to our health from PM2.5 are more subtle and it takes a long time before people get sick from air pollution, so many people and authorities underestimate the deadly threat from PM2.5 to our health.'

The pollution cloud - a deadly cloud of fine dust particles and other air pollutants -

has been carpeting since Saturday January 12. It is eight times higher than the safe limit.

It is caused by high numbers of cars on the road, an explosion in construction projects and the city's hundreds of thousands of street food sellers barbecuing food outdoors.

Health experts have warned that the pollution is a 'silent killer' and that at current levels was extremely harmful to anyone stepping outside. They said the cost of treating people could run into 'millions of dollars'.

Air quality in Thailand is so bad at the moment that the government has been warned there could be billions of baht in medical costs incurred by the crisis

Witsanu Attavanich, associate professor of economics at Kasetsart University, said: 'Air pollution is really a silent killer and many Thais underestimate the danger to their health, so not many people protect themselves by wearing a facemask or installing air purifiers at home.'

Visibility in some parts of Bangkok was reduced to just 1km while air quality levels rocketed past the safe zone.

The PM2.5 air-quality index (AQI) in parts of Bangkok reached a shocking 394 microgrammes per cubic - far past the acceptable limit of 50.

The PM2.5 dust particles are extremely small and they are fine enough to be absorbed in the human bloodstream through the lungs. This will cause chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer, heart disease and stroke in the long term if there is exposure to air pollution,

Mr Attavanich said he country would face billions of baht in additional health costs unless the severe air pollution was tackled.