<s docid="FT922-14197" num="16"> Manuel Camacho Solis, Mexico City's mayor, also ordered the city's largest industries to buy anti-pollution equipment to help cut emissions of suspended particulate matter by 90 per cent, nitrogen dioxide by 50 per cent and solvents by 10-15 per cent in 18 months.</s>

<s docid="FT922-14197" num="21"> Government rhetoric has thus stepped up a notch and industries which fail to comply with standards are being closed down.</s>

<s docid="FT922-14197" num="23"> already, in response to the new regulations, 40 industries and 12 mines in Mexico City have promised to spend Dollars 52m on buying scrubbers, filters and energy saving devices - mostly from US companies such as the Clean Air Group, Owen Rust Engineering and Northrop.</s>

<s docid="FT921-15760" num="17"> The Environmental Ministry, along with other government departments, has prevented use of the city's 2.8m cars and trucks on one working day each week; closed down the giant March 18 oil refinery; ordered the replacement of 60,000 taxis and minibuses with models fitted with catalytic converters; shut down scores of factories that fail to comply with tough emissions standards; invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improving public transport, the quality of gasoline, and planting trees; and in November raised leaded gasoline prices by 55 per cent.</s>

<s docid="LA121890-0088" num="17"> While publicly downplaying the problem, government officials did invoke the first stage of an emergency Environmental Contingency Plan over the weekend to reduce operations by 30% at dozens of industrial plants.</s>

<s docid="LA121890-0088" num="26"> Although the program initially produced results, ecologists say its effect has been neutralized by the estimated 275,000 automobiles newly registered in Mexico City during 1990.</s>

<s docid="LA121890-0088" num="27"> The government also began requiring semiannual exhaust tests on the estimated 3 million cars in the capital.</s>

<s docid="FT921-5619" num="40"> Nevertheless, the bank is at the point of approving a loan of up to Dollars 200m to help Mexico City clean up its air, money which will partly fund lead-free gas, new buses and taxies, and more technical studies.</s>

<s docid="LA061890-0072" num="11"> The funds will be used, in part, for refining equipment that will reduce the sulfur content of gasoline and other fuels.</s>

<s docid="LA100889-0048" num="19"> On the environmental agenda, Bush agreed to send U.S. experts to provide technical advice to officials struggling to reduce air pollution in Mexico City, whose air is even dirtier than that of Los Angeles.</s>

<s docid="FT921-15471" num="7"> PRESIDENT Carlos Salinas of Mexico has set up a commission to co-ordinate Mexico City's fight against air pollution, writes Damian Fraser in Mexico City.</s>

<s docid="FT921-15471" num="13"> Mr Salinas ordered the commission to draw up a plan in 30 days to outline how all public vehicles and taxis could use natural gas.</s>

<s docid="FT921-15471" num="14"> This would reduce pollution levels but would probably increase Mexico's gas imports.</s>

<s docid="FT921-7845" num="7"> MEXICO CITY'S government is considering installing 100 giant hot-air ventilators across the nation's capital, in a bizarre effort to blow pollution away from the city.</s>

<s docid="FT921-7845" num="18"> The ventilator scheme was announced on the day ozone reached 'very dangerous' levels, prompting the government to enforce strict anti-smog measures.</s>

<s docid="FBIS4-9660" num="34"> During the last fiscal period, more than 215 installation safety inspections were carried out by insurance companies and specialized corporations, as well as more than 1,000 environmental impact studies.</s>

<s docid="LA120290-0103" num="33"> The Atizapan dump, which is home to more than 100 families, is one of four open-air garbage pits in the Mexico City area.</s>

<s docid="LA120290-0103" num="34"> Its residents say they fear the government may soon shut it down, however, to cut down on Mexico City's chronic pollution.</s>

<s docid="FT942-9329" num="8"> The catalysts, comprising a thin coating of precious metals on a cylindrical substrate, are the active component of the catalytic converter systems being made mandatory by the Mexican government as part of efforts to reduce severe city air pollution.</s>

<s docid="FT922-5739" num="18"> AP reports from Washington: Mexico City is to have a Dollars 100m loan to help tackle its pollution problem, the Inter-American Development Bank announced.</s>

<s docid="FT921-2827" num="10"> The programme which prevents cars from circulating for one day a week was extended to two days, and 194 of the city's largest industries had to cut production by between 50 and 75 per cent.</s>

