"How Many Deaths Did Volkswagen’s Deception Cause in U.S.?"

"Volkswagen’s diesel deception unleashed tons of extra pollutants in the United States, pollutants that can harm human health. So while many commentators have been quick to say that the cheating engines are not a highway safety concern, safety — as in health — is still an issue.

Unlike the ignition defect in General Motors vehicles that caused at least 124 people to die in car crashes, Volkswagen pollution is harder to link to individual deaths. But it is clear to public health researchers that the air pollutants the cars illegally emitted damage health, and they have formulas to calculate the lives lost from excess pollution. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency uses its own estimates of the health effects of air pollution to create its regulations of what’s allowed. After consulting with several experts in modeling the health effects of air pollutants, we calculated a death toll in the United States that, at its upper range, isn’t far off from that caused by the G.M. defect."

Margot Sanger-Katz and John Schwartz report for the New York Times September 28, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Volkswagen To Refit Cars Affected By Emissions Scandal" (Reuters)

"New Report Shows Chasm Between Car Test Results And Real World" (Reuters)