China increases pollution tests

Beijing authorities have completed a network of monitors that will more accurately measure air quality in the smog-prone city after being pushed into it by pollution reports from the American embassy.

The Beijing monitoring centre this weekend said that another 15 stations had begun releasing real-time data on small particulates known as PM2.5.

The tiny pollution particles that may result from the burning of fuels in vehicles and power plants can penetrate deep into the lungs, so measuring them is considered a more accurate reflection of air quality than other methods.