Air pollution alert for Mexico City lifted

A four-day air pollution emergency alert in Mexico City has been lifted after authorities ordered some cars off the road and wind conditions improved.

Even so, smog on the city's northern edge reached 1.3 times acceptable limits on Thursday.

The federal environment secretary said new pollution-control standards would be considered as a result of the city's first pollution alert in 11 years.

Rafael Pacchiano also said Mexico City and neighboring Mexico State had reached an agreement over garbage disposal.

The state had begun refusing to accept the city's garbage after Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera blamed surrounding states for sending pollution into the city.

Mexico State had argued the garbage released polluting gases; the city was briefly forced to truck waste to another state further away.