Thermo Fisher Scientific's sales of air quality monitoring products in the Chinese market have been growing, and now account for 25 to 30 percent of the company's global air quality business, said Marc N. Casper, the company's president and chief executive officer.

The company — one of the world's largest manufacturers of scientific instruments — is a major supplier of equipment to monitor PM 2.5 levels in China. Casper said it has a market share of 80 to 90 percent in China's high-end equipment market.

PM 2.5 refers to fine airborne particles below 2.5 micrometers that are considered extremely hazardous to people's health as they go deeper into the lungs than the larger particles that exist in the air.

The company plans to invest $20 million to open a new facility in Suzhou to make life sciences consumables and equipment, to serve China and the global market.

"China is one of our fastest-growing markets and has been a key contributor to our success," said Casper.

Casper added that the Suzhou facility builds on the company's well-established presence in China, and it aligns its capabilities with China's five-year plan to develop strategic industries, including pharmaceutical, healthcare and environmental.

China recently tightened its air pollution monitoring standards. The Environment Ministry plans to build around 1,500 monitoring stations for PM 2.5 by 2015 with an estimated investment of 2 billion yuan ($317.73 million).