Beijing will start monitor ing the effect of smog on residents' health this week, said the city's health bureau in its Sina micro blog account on Monday.

The city's center for disease control and prevention will set up monitoring stations in 11 communities to monitor air quality, and will dispatch professionals to test air samples on a regular basis.

Also, the city's authorities will collect data from hospital medical records to determine the relationship between the smog and the health of residents.

In October, the National Health and Family Planning Commission asked health authorities in 16 provinces or municipalities, including Beijing, to monitor and report the density of PM2.5 and its impact on health.