See the earlier post: “Air pollution in Beijing and fuel quality”
China Daily confirmed the figures. Most parts of China still use the National III standard, which allows sulfur content of up to 150 ppm for gasoline and 350 ppm for diesel. The current standard in Europe is 10 ppm and in the US the restriction is 30 ppm. Some areas of China even still allow the National II diesel standard that caps sulfur content at 2,000 ppm.
According to local media reports, the average number of commercial trucks – many of them low-tech diesels registered in areas with lower emission standards – that enter Beijing each night can hit 140,000.