Shanghai starts to phase out 90-octane gasoline

Shanghai has started to gradually phase out 90-octane gasoline, which causes more pollution due to higher sulfur content. The move was aimed at easing air pollution and creating a cleaner 2010 World Expo, officials from the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau told a news briefing. The United Nations Environment Program is doing an independent evaluation on city authorities’ performance on environmental protection for the Expo and these results will be made public soon. Officials did not say when the 90-octane gasoline would vanish from the city market. However, they said gasoline for low-performance engines would be unavailable by the time the Expo starts next May. (July 29, 2009)