"Scientists are examining whether the unique shifts in air pollution during the coronavirus pandemic could validate or challenge the public science used to regulate vehicle emissions.

A team of institutions led by George Washington University thinks the variability among those shifts could reveal a more accurate picture on how much cars and trucks pollute, and eventually influence emissions rulemaking.

Most emission tests are done in laboratories. Regulators then use that data to estimate how much nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, for example, are released into the atmosphere by vehicle type, said Dan Goldberg, research scientist at George Washington."

James Munson reports for Bloomberg Environment May 30, 2020. [2]