Peru’s Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with the U.S. EPA and with funding from the Department of State, recently completed an 18-month air pollution study in the Lima-Callao region under the Megacities Partnership. Its goals were to

• Strengthen air quality management through policy development, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement
• Support air quality monitoring initiatives
• Build capacity in Lima-Callao for scientific and economic analyses and communication planning in support of air quality management plan development.

Analysis of the local pollution conditions revealed that PM^2.5levels were a “substantial public health concern.” Over 10,000 premature deaths each year likely resulted from PM^2.5 exposure in Lima-Callao, at a cost of $1.5 million USD.

The transportation sector was identified as a major contributor to both ambient PM^2.5 and the resulting premature mortality. More specifically, on-road vehicles were found to contribute to over half (58-67 percent) of the ambient PM^2.5 levels.

To address this, the analysis highlighted exhaust from non-compliant vehicles which included somewhere between 3 and 12 percent of operating vehicles contributing to 1-3 µg/m³ of PM^2.5 and leading to an estimated 250-990 premature deaths each year. In conclusion, the report recommended increased enforcement of current vehicle emission standards, as well as expanding the region’s vehicle Inspection & Maintenance programs.

https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/epa-collaboration-peru#megacities