Mexican chemist recommends "breathalyzer" tests on cars to ease pollution

To tackle Mexico City's air pollution problem, a famous Mexican chemist recommended that vehicles undergo "breathalyzer" tests similar to those used to catch drunk drivers, media reported Wednesday.

Mario Molina, co-winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said he hoped officials will set up checkpoints around the capital city to randomly stop vehicles and detect how much they pollute, according to the daily El Universal.

A city program to curb drunk driving by randomly stopping drivers and giving them breathalyzer tests has been successful at reducing the number of accidents.

"So, why not do something similar in highly polluting vehicles, either cars or buses?" Molina, a climate policy advisor to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, told lawmakers at a session earlier this week.

The random checks can also catch drivers who may have bribed pollution detection centers to get seals of approval even when their engines pollute, which will help monitor the detection process, according to Molina.

Molina won the Nobel for his role in uncovering the harmful effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the Earth's protective ozone layer. Endi