In one of its first major initiatives, Peru’s newly created Environment Ministry has launched an effort to improve air quality in the country’s major cities by drafting new standards for airborne concentrations of sulfur dioxide, particulates, benzene, hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide. Ministry officials say the new standards would require upgrading vehicles, lowering the sulfur content of diesel fuel and making industries more efficient. But some experts worry the measures may set the bar too high too quickly. The new standards, which generally follow World Health Organization guidelines, will tighten allowable levels of some pollutants in two phases. The maximum allowable average of sulfur dioxide in a 24-hour period will be lowered from the current level of 365 micrograms per cubic meter of air to... [Log in to read more]