Shanxi gets PM2.5 monitoring network

All the built-up areas and administrative units at county-level in North China's Shanxi province have been equipped with PM2.5 monitoring stations, according to the province's environment monitoring center on June 2.

Early in 2012, the monitoring stations for PM2.5 covered all the built-up areas in the province's 11 cities. The monitoring network expanded toward county-level in 2014, with over 200 new monitoring stations. To date, the province has 262 monitoring stations.

The monitoring stations are categorized into two types. One of them can monitor six pollutants, including PM10, PM2.5 and sulfur dioxide, while the other kind monitors PM2.5 Shanxi's monitoring stations belong to the first type.

These stations are set in the province's industrial areas, commercial areas and living areas. Each county has at least two such stations.

"Shanxi paced the country in terms of the monitoring stations network's coverage," said the head of the province's environment monitoring center. The monitoring stations are in the trial operation stage, and the data will not be published until official operation.