Scientists forced Makak to inhale exhaust gases. And then they conducted a similar study in public

Research financed German car concerns

On January 25, The New York Times reported that the German auto -concerts Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler (manufacturer Mercedes) sponsors the lobbying organization that financed the experimental dubious from the point of view of ethics. By order of this organization in 2014, scientists tested the effects of exhaust gases, forcing the monkeys to inhale them. After the article in The New York Times, all three automakers publicly condemned this study. Three days later, it turned out that the organization sponsored by them ordered experiments not only on animals, but also on people.

According to The New York Times, in 2014, employees of the scientific laboratory in the American city of Albuquerque forced 10 macaques inhale exhaust gases from two cars; One of them was the release of 1999, the second - Volkswagen Beetle 2012. Thus, scientists tried to prove that cleaning systems in new models of diesel engines reduce the level of emission of harmful substances, writes The New York Times. As exhaust gases influenced the health of monkeys, it is not known: the results of the study were not published.

The experiment was ordered by the European Research Group for Environmental Protection and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) - a lobbying organization created in 2007 by the German auto -concrete Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW, as well as the supplier of car details of Bosch (according to German media, by the time of Bosch experiments no longer had to do with the Bosch experiments. Eugt). According to The New York Times, Eugt was engaged in hiring scientists to conduct research in support of the car concerns. The group lasted 10 years and was disbanded in 2017.

When journalists learned about the experiment with the monkeys, Volkswagen apologized and stated that she condemned the brutal handling of animals. Daimler and BMW tried to distance themselves from Eugt studies, saying that they had no direct relation to them.

Soon after Volkswagen apologized, German publications Stuttgarter Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Eugt ordered testing not only animals, but also on people. According to Stuttgarter Zeitung with reference to the EugT report for 2012-2015, at the University of the German city of Aachen tested the influence of exhaust gases on the respiratory tract of 25 volunteers; Once a week for three hours, they inhaled nitrogen dioxide in different concentrations - up to a triplely exceeding the permissible norm.

The experiment lasted a month, after which the researchers said that they did not find any reactions to the inhaled substance from the volunteers. At the same time, as notes The Washington Post, the American environmental protection agency considers nitric dioxide toxic; With short -term exposure, according to the agency, it can cause a cough or difficulty breathing, with prolonged - contributes to the development of asthma.

An experiment on inhalation of exhaust gases on people by order of Eugt was conducted by a professor in the field of professional and environmental hygiene of the University of Akhen Thomas Kraus. He told Stuttgarter Zeitung that the study approved the ethics committee of his faculty. According to Kraus, the committee called the experiment “justified”, since the effect of nitrogen dioxide on volunteers was short -term.

Despite the words of Krouse, the German government rigidly condemned Eugt experiments. “These tests cannot be justified from an ethical point of view,” said Steffen Zubert, the official representative of the German federal government. The EUGT’s criticism was made by the Ministry of Environment and Transport of Germany. The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony and the Member of the Volkswagen Supervisory Board Stefan Weil (the government of this land owns 20% of the Volkswagen concern) called to find out whether Eugt and other experiments in humans and animals conducted.

The exposure to exhaust gases on people tested not only EUGT. A similar study in 2014 was conducted by Canadian scientist Chris Karlste from the University of British Colombia; He studied the effect of contaminated air on cellular processes in the human body. 16 people, patients with asthma, participated in the Carlstain experiment; They inhaled the exhaust gases of a diesel engine for two hours in a row. “Experiments on monkeys and people are not necessarily unethical,” said Karlste BBC.

Another scientist examining the effects of contaminated air on the body, Professor Frank Kelly from the Royal College in London suggested that the claims of Eugt studies arose due to the fact that large car conheres financed them. “If the study is not independent, questions will arise for its viability and, as a result, ethics,” said Kelly BBC.

The company Volkswagen, which has only recently recovered from Dieselgate , said on January 30 she said that the internal investigation began in connection with Eugt experiments. For the duration of its carrying out from work, the Commissioner for External Relations and Sustainable Development of Volkswagen Thomas Steg is removed; The media call him the main lobbyist of the company. “Mr. Steg said that he was ready to take full responsibility [for the work of Eugt and its consequences]. I respect this decision, ” said Volkswagen Matthias Müller.

Olga Korelina