U.S. Embassy in China Air Quality Monitoring Station

The U.S. Embassy’s air quality monitoring station monitors air quality in the embassy area by measuring PM2.5 suspended particles. Its purpose is to provide health information to U.S. diplomats in Beijing. The air quality of the entire city cannot be obtained from data from a single air monitoring station.

Suspended particles (PM 2.5) with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns are called "fine particles" and are considered the most harmful to health. PM2.5 is a standard recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which allows us to compare it with the U.S. standard baseline. PM2.5 particles are noteworthy because they are small enough that they can enter the lungs and even the blood circulation. For more information, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/pm/pm25_index.html.