BEIJING – Beijing marked a breakthrough in air pollution treatment on Tuesday, when the Chinese capital met the national air quality benchmark, according to local authorities.

In 2021, the city's average PM2.5 concentration was 33 micrograms per cubic metre, the lowest since records began in 2013, according to Yu Jianhua, deputy head of the Beijing municipal ecology and environment department. According to the State media, the PM2.5 rating is a gauge that monitors airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 millimetres or less that can enter deep into people's lungs.

In 2021, the capital's average ozone concentration fell to 149 micrograms per cubic metre, marking the first time the city's PM2.5 and ozone readings both surpassed the level-II national standard at the same time.

According to Yu, last year's average PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide concentrations in Beijing were 55, 26, and 3 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.

Last year, the city experienced 288 days of high air quality, up 112 days from 2013, and only eight days of severe air pollution.

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