Report calls for changes in air monitoring

Beijing - Major indicators are absent in China's air quality reports, and the public is poorly informed about how the pollution is damaging their health, a report released on Wednesday said.

The Air Quality Information Transparency Index said the country's cities lagged behind their international counterparts in terms of the comprehensiveness of air quality indicators used in monitoring and public reporting. The index was generated by Renmin University of China's law school and the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

The most important indicator overlooked is the measuring of "fine particles" - particles fewer than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5).