Only one in five Chinese cities have satisfactory air quality for 2.5 micron air quailty standard

China Daily – The chinese public will be able to view Beijing air-quality monitoring data using the PM2.5 (2.5 micron particle) gauge for the first time, as authorities plan to release it before the Spring Festival holiday begins on Jan 23, an official with Beijing’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said Thursday.

Inquirer News – China Daily has said that if PM2.5 were used as China’s main standard, only 20 percent of Chinese cities would be rated as having satisfactory air quality, against the current 80 percent.

This is in response to a public outcry against plans to only provide the data nationally 2016. PM10 is reported but PM2.5 has more health impacts. The public debate on PM2.5 and PM10 first began when it came to light that air-quality monitoring results released by Beijing’s weather forecast station and the US Embassy in Beijing often differed. The public has urged government authorities to apply the tighter PM2.5 standard, which measures finer matter that is considered more hazardous to people’s health, as it can go deeper into the lungs.

PM2.5-airborne pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter-monitors are unveiled for the first time in Beijing.

Beijing’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau is now working to increase its number of monitoring substations, as this will allow it to release real-time PM2.5 data by the end of 2012, said Zhao.

Stuff in the Air has a picture comparing air pollution in China with a clean air city

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