Volkswagen 'defeat devices' cause 60 deaths, scientists say

About 60 Americans have died prematurely as a result of Volkswagen’s “defeat device,” and another 140 may follow according to a peer-reviewed study released Oct. 29 in open-access journal Environmental Research Letters.

Previous estimates of U.S. deaths ranged between five and 40, according to other reports from the New York Times, Vox and The Associated Press.

The study pinpoints the device, installed by the Wolfsburg, Germany, automakers in 500,000 vehicles to skirt federal pollution regulations, as contributing to 30 cases of chronic bronchitis among other health-related problems.

Steven Barrett, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said equivalent costs of the pollution were about $450 million over the period cars with the devices were sold, according to The Atlantic.

Read more from The Atlantic.