Sales of such dress are especially good this year in nearly all shopping malls in Guangzhou. Although the price of such maternity dresses vary from 300 yuan to 1,000 yuan, there is still a huge demand for them.

Ms. Li, a saleswoman at a maternity dress shop, told this reporter that most buyers were white collar office workers. As these women often work in an environment with much radiation, they are the group who can also afford to buy the clothes.

Currently, most women with child who wear such maternity clothes are those who work in public institutions and enterprises. They are made in various forms. Some are made into robes, while others are made into vests, aprons, or belly clothes.

¡°Nowadays, we are exposed to so much radiation in offices and we need to take precautionary measures. I have bought three maternity garments that can protect me from radiation. Although they are by no means cheap, I feel it is still worth it,¡± said Ms. Gao, a young woman who has been in a family way for only two months.

Ms. Wu agreed with her point. In order to make sure that her baby would be born healthy, she said she wouldn¡¯t mind spending some money. Although she wasn¡¯t quite sure about the effect of such clothes, at least they would make her less worried about her child.

So far, China has not issued any authoritative document to acknowledge the effect of such maternity clothes which are said to be helpful in guarding against radiation. The state has not publicized any standards for the production. So it is still unknown whether these clothes are helpful to those mothers-to-be. The reporter was informed that all such maternity clothes sold in Guangzhou had been appraised by the Shanghai Testing Center before they were put on sale.

In a telephone interview, a doctor from the Maternity and Childcare Hospital of Guangzhou told the reporter that doctors usually would ask pregnant women to avoid possible radiation sources, such as computers, TV sets and fridges in their daily life. However, doctors seldom suggest pregnant women should wear these maternity clothes against radiation. The doctor hoped that before buying these clothes, young couples should get more knowledge about the clothes so that they won't cause any harm to the mothers-to-be.