The hazardous air quality in Beijing has been well publicized in recent years, when levels of fine particulate matter have at times reached 40 times the recommended exposure limit set by the World Health Organization.

The United States Embassy in Beijing has long monitored air pollution in the city, much to the chagrin of the communist regime, and it has realized that it has a duty to protect its own employees health.

The New York Times has reported that the US State Department sent a team of experts to China to evaluate employees’ homes and make recommendations on how to ensure relatively clean air quality indoors. American officials concluded they needed to place more air purifiers in frequently used residential spaces, such as bedrooms and living areas, even though new employees already get some units when they first arrive. (The embassy itself has a centralized air filtration system.)

The sales of air filters and purifiers has boomed in the last year. (See a Chinese university vice-dean's experience)

Read the full New York Times story here.