VW Apologies for Rigged Diesel Fume Tests on Monkeys

Volkswagen AG has apologized for a “lack of judgment” in helping to fund lab tests that exposed 10 monkeys to diesel fumes.

More significant is the source of the pollution used in the 2014 tests. The exhaust came from a VW Beetle whose engine was among those rigged by the carmaker to meet emission limits only during test conditions, The New York Times reports.

Even so, the research produced unclear results. The study was not published, according to documents submitted in a U.S. court case. The group that funded the research, the European Scientific Study Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT), was disbanded last year.

EUGT had been created by BMW, Daimler, VW and Bosch to generate research that either presented diesels in a favorable light or questioned their contribution to pollution and health problems.

Daimler tells the Times the group did contribute legitimate results that were reviewed by an advisory board of qualified scientists. But the company also describes the monkey tests as “unnecessary and repulsive.” It promises to launch an investigation and says it specifically distanced itself from the study.​​​