The environmental authorities in Beijing on Saturday started releasing more accurate data on air pollution, which may give a better idea about the extent of the problem in the Chinese capital, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The readings of PM2.5 - particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres, which poses a serious health hazard because it can go deep into the lungs - were published for the first time, after public anger over discrepancies between pollution readings recorded by the US embassy in Beijing and those released by the city's authorities.
PM2.5 readings are stricter than PM10, which measures particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter. PM10 particles are considered less hazardous than PM2.5.
The US embassy, which records PM2.5 concentration in the air from a device at its compound and publishes the readings online daily, said on its website that the reading was "good" on Saturday.
Beijing's environmental monitoring centre has only one PM2.5 reading station in the city. They plan to install more devices across the capital, which already has 27 PM10 monitoring stations.
The centre this month promised to publish the readings before the start of the Chinese New Year on Monday.
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