Host city's air quality refreshes history

Pollutants drop dramatically as green Expo efforts bear fruit

SHANGHAI - The air quality in Shanghai was "good" or "fair" on more than 98 percent of the days between May 1 and Aug 31, the best ever, all thanks to the environmental protection initiatives taken before and during the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

The average concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM10, or particles smaller than 10 microns, were reduced by 27.6, 8.9 and 13.9 percent respectively compared with the same period last year, according to the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.