Beijing began disclosing the amount of tiny pollution particles in the air, in a move that could improve disclosure but alarm a public barely resigned to the capital's choking smog.
The new measurement of particles of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, or PM2.5, comes after growing attention to air quality in Beijing, one of the world's most heavily polluted capitals, from Chinese as well as foreigners.
"So that the people can form a relatively complete understanding of the Beijing air quality, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre will publish hourly 2.5 data from January 21," the centre said on its website, www.bjmemc.com.cn.
On January 21, a clear crisp day that contrasted with the thick smog earlier in the week, the Beijing Centre reported between 0.003 micrograms-0.062 microgram per cubic meter of PM2.5 particles in the air, Xinhua said. "It shows that the government is responding to popular concerns about air pollution," said Steven Andrews, an environmental consultant who has studied Beijing air pollution since 2006.
The data will be collected from a monitoring station in the Chegongzhuang area of the second ring road, which encircles the centre city, the Xinhua news agency said.