Ecobreves – MEXICO: Imports of Used Cars Could Be Toxic

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MEXICO CITY, Jan 19 2009 (IPS) - With the doors opened Jan. 1 in Mexico to imports of cars 10 years and older from the United States, air pollution rates could see a dramatic increase, warn observers. Although the law states that only cars that meet the regulations in their place of origin can be imported, in Mexico there is no appropriate verification infrastructure, nor uniform environmental standards to prevent a hike in pollution, importer Ricardo López told Tierramérica.

The purchase of used cars from the United States has been allowed as part of accords signed in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA – Canada, Mexico, United States).

Mexico has some 27 million cars on its roads. An estimated five million of those were brought in illegally from the United States prior to the enactment of the import accord.