Humans and monkeys used as test subjects in diesel engine experiments by German carmakers

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An August 2, 2017 file photo shows the exhaust pipes of a VW Diesel car are photographed in Frankfurt, Germany. The chairman of Volkswagen says that diesel exhaust tests involving monkeys were ‘totally incomprehensible and the matter must be ‘investigated fully and unconditionally.’ Photo: AP

Published: 1:11am, 30 Jan 2018Updated: 1:50am, 30 Jan 2018

The German auto industry has used both monkeys and human volunteers as test subjects in experiments involving diesel exhaust fumes, it has emerged.

Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said tests were “totally incomprehensible” and must be “investigated completely and without reservation,” while the German government has condemned them as “in no way ... ethically justified”, the DPA news agency reported.

The revelations add a new twist to the German auto industry’s attempt to move past Volkswagen’s scandal over cheating on diesel tests and the resulting questioning of diesel technology across the industry.

An August 1, 2017 file photo shows the brand logo of German car maker Volkswagen, VW, on a car in Berlin, Germany. The chairman of Volkswagen says that diesel exhaust tests involving monkeys were ‘totally incomprehensible’ after a report that a research group funded by auto companies exposed monkeys to diesel exhaust from a late-model Volkswagen, while another group was exposed to fumes from an older Ford pickup. Photo: AP

The research was performed by a group funded by major German auto companies, and involved one group of monkeys being exposed to diesel exhaust from a late-model Volkswagen, while another group was exposed to fumes from an older Ford pickup, a report, published by The New York Times, said.

The experiments were carried out in 2014 before Volkswagen was caught using software that let vehicles cheat on emissions tests.