30 Britons ‘will be killed by VW fumes from Germany’
THIRTY Britons will die prematurely from pollution produced in Germany by VW diesel cars fitted with ‘defeat devices’, scientists claimed yesterday.
The devices, which contain software to rig laboratory pollution tests, were fitted in 11million diesel cars so they appeared to produce far less toxic gas than was the case.
Based on the 2.6million cars fitted with the devices in Germany, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calculated that 1,200 people will die up to ten years early due to the extra pollution caused by the cars.
Around 500 of these deaths will be in Germany, while the rest will be in neighbouring countries, most notably Poland, France, and the Czech Republic.
Around 30 will be in Britain, with toxic nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide coming across the North Sea.
To estimate the death toll, Professor Steven Barrett and his colleagues used data on driving behaviour in Germany.
Professor Barrett said: ‘Typically, someone who dies early from air pollution ends up dying about a decade early.
‘Air pollution is trans-boundary. A car in Germany can easily have significant impacts in neighbouring countries, especially in densely populated areas such as the European Continent.’
The extra 1,200 deaths calculated in the study are only a fraction of the likely extra deaths caused by defeat devices.
As 1.2million VW cars with defeat devices were sold in Britain, the true number of early deaths caused in the UK is likely to be much higher. Extrapolating the MIT figures, a further 450 people could have died prematurely in Britain.
As well as toxic gases, particulates also play a part in increasing the effects of pollution. Ammonia in the air combines with the gases to form fine particles, which can trigger heart and lung diseases.
Professor Barrett said: ‘It takes time for nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide to get converted into particulates, at which point they could be 200km or further away from their source.’
In January, 10,000 British drivers who bought the cars decided to sue VW for £30million. The firm has recalled cars to remove the defeat software and has fixed 470,000 of the 1.2million cars in the UK.
Mercedes is recalling 75,000 cars in Britain to fix a starter motor that can cause fires. There have been 51 fires worldwide, although there are no reports of any injuries.