EMISSIONS AND MONKEYS

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Car Exhaust Test in Germany

Apparently German carmakers have been involved in the latest scandal to hit the automotive industry in which car emissions tests were carried out on monkeys and humans by letting them inhale diesel fumes. The tests were made by a body, the European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT), funded by Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW. The German government has denounced those experiments and called them abominable.

The EUGT was designed to counter a 2012 decision by the World Health Organisation to classify diesel exhaust as a carcinogen. The body was dissolved by carmakers last year. Daimler condemned the experiments and Volkswagen is still embroiled in a scandal about them giving false diesel emission data. BMW as well has distanced itself from the experiments.

In the experiment monkeys were exposed to fumes in an air-tight chamber in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Later the media reported that humans had been tested the same way. Carmakers connected to the study have fired those in charge or at least relieved them from some of their duties. The level of pollution is still too high in 10 German cities therefore the vehicles are likely to be banned from the pollution hotspots.

GLOSSARY

carmaker (kɑ:ʳ,ˈmeɪkəʳ) – der Autohersteller

diesel fume (fju:m) – die Dieselabgase

body (ˈbɒdi) – hier: das Gremium, das Organ, die Einrichtung

to denounce (dɪˈnaʊn(t)s) – etw anprangern

abominable (əˈbɒmɪnəbl̩) – furchtbar, schrecklich, widerwärtig

to counter (ˈkaʊntəʳ) – etw/jdm widersprechen, kontern

to classify (ˈklæsɪfaɪ) – etw klassifizieren, einordnen

exhaust (ɪgˈzɔ:st) – die Abgase, der Auspuff

carcinogen (kɑ:ˈsɪnəʤən) – der Krebserreger

to dissolve (dɪˈzɒlv) – sich auflösen

to condemn (kənˈdem) – etw verurteilen

to embroil (ɪmˈbrɔɪl) – jdn hineinziehen, verwickeln

to expose (ɪkˈspəʊz) – jdn etw aussetzen, preisgeben

air-tight (eəʳ-taɪt) – luftdicht

in charge (tʃɑ:ʤ) – verantwortlich, federführend

to relieve (rɪˈli:v) – hier: jdn entheben, befreien von

duty (ˈdju:ti) – die Pflicht

pollution (pəˈlu:ʃən) – die Verschmutzung

EMISSIONS AND MONKEYS

By /

Car Exhaust Test in Germany

Apparently German carmakers have been involved in the latest scandal to hit the automotive industry in which car emissions tests were carried out on monkeys and humans by letting them inhale diesel fumes. The tests were made by a body, the European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT), funded by Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW. The German government has denounced those experiments and called them abominable.

The EUGT was designed to counter a 2012 decision by the World Health Organisation to classify diesel exhaust as a carcinogen. The body was dissolved by carmakers last year. Daimler condemned the experiments and Volkswagen is still embroiled in a scandal about them giving false diesel emission data. BMW as well has distanced itself from the experiments.

In the experiment monkeys were exposed to fumes in an air-tight chamber in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Later the media reported that humans had been tested the same way. Carmakers connected to the study have fired those in charge or at least relieved them from some of their duties. The level of pollution is still too high in 10 German cities therefore the vehicles are likely to be banned from the pollution hotspots.

GLOSSARY

carmaker (kɑ:ʳ,ˈmeɪkəʳ) – der Autohersteller

diesel fume (fju:m) – die Dieselabgase

body (ˈbɒdi) – hier: das Gremium, das Organ, die Einrichtung

to denounce (dɪˈnaʊn(t)s) – etw anprangern

abominable (əˈbɒmɪnəbl̩) – furchtbar, schrecklich, widerwärtig

to counter (ˈkaʊntəʳ) – etw/jdm widersprechen, kontern

to classify (ˈklæsɪfaɪ) – etw klassifizieren, einordnen

exhaust (ɪgˈzɔ:st) – die Abgase, der Auspuff

carcinogen (kɑ:ˈsɪnəʤən) – der Krebserreger

to dissolve (dɪˈzɒlv) – sich auflösen

to condemn (kənˈdem) – etw verurteilen

to embroil (ɪmˈbrɔɪl) – jdn hineinziehen, verwickeln

to expose (ɪkˈspəʊz) – jdn etw aussetzen, preisgeben

air-tight (eəʳ-taɪt) – luftdicht

in charge (tʃɑ:ʤ) – verantwortlich, federführend

to relieve (rɪˈli:v) – hier: jdn entheben, befreien von

duty (ˈdju:ti) – die Pflicht

pollution (pəˈlu:ʃən) – die Verschmutzung

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