MOSCOW, November 17 (RIA Novosti) - The concentration of automobile exhaust in Moscow is twice the level in the rest of the country, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy reported Thursday in parliamentary hearings on the environmental safety of vehicles and gasoline.
According to ministry data, the more than 2.5 million cars in the Russian capital emit over 1 million metric tons of toxic contaminants into the atmosphere annually. Passenger vehicles account for the bulk of such emissions (60%), whereas emissions from freight and buses account for around 26% and 13.5%, respectively.
Besides using low-grade gasoline, driving outdated cars causes environmental problems.
The ministry divided the cars in Russia into three categories: brand new foreign cars produced within the past five years (10%), new Russian-made cars and second-hand foreign cars up to 10 years in use (around 30%), and "ancient" Russian and foreign cars (about 60%).
