Diesel engines fitted with illegal software to cheat pollution tests have caused 16,000 deaths in France since 2009, according to the first study to calculate the human cost of the "Dieselgate" scandal that exposed widespread fraud by car manufacturers.
The research comes from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), an independent group based in Finland.
It warns that another 8,000 preventable deaths could occur in France by 2040 if the affected vehicles remain on the road.
The study, published Wednesday, estimates the scandal will cost France €146 billion in healthcare, lost productivity and early deaths.
Across Europe, including Britain, CREA projects 205,000 premature deaths linked to the excess pollution, with total economic losses reaching €1.2 trillion.
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Hidden pollution
The Dieselgate scandal erupted in the United States in 2015, when it was revealed that carmakers had fitted diesel vehicles with software that made them appear cleaner during official lab testing.
In real driving conditions, the cars emitted far higher levels of nitrogen dioxide.
The affected cars were widely sold in Europe, including France. More than 200 models sold between September 2009 and August 2019 were affected, including vehicles made by Volkswagen, Peugeot, Renault and Fiat.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, around 19 million of these vehicles are still on the road in Europe.
The study links the excess emissions to a rise in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. In France alone, CREA found the tampered engines will have caused 26,000 new cases of childhood asthma by 2040.
“These excess emissions add to ‘legal’ emissions and should never have polluted the air we breathe,” the researchers said.
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Push for recalls
Anne Lassman-Trappier, who works on air quality for the environmental group France Nature Environnement, said the deaths were avoidable.
“The state must force car manufacturers to bring these vehicles up to standard,” Lassman-Trappier told France Inter.
“This is what was done in the United States as soon as the scandal broke, to save thousands of lives. We’re talking about thousands of asthma cases, hundreds of thousands of days not worked for the economy. It’s worth it. We must act.”
France Nature Environnement argues that French authorities should have required manufacturers to recall the vehicles or offer compensation.
“The government’s inaction following the Dieselgate scandal is still causing daily suffering, causing deaths and costing the economy dearly,” Lassman-Trappier said.
“Thousands of lives can still be saved and billions of euros spared if France finally forces manufacturers to bring the millions of vehicles with toxic emissions into compliance or reimburse harmed consumers.”
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Legal fallout
On 26 May, four former Volkswagen executives were sentenced to prison in Germany for fraud, receiving terms of up to four and a half years.
In 2023, former Audi boss Rupert Stadler received a suspended sentence of 21 months.
The CREA study found that acting now could prevent 8,000 premature deaths, 8,000 new childhood asthma cases, 800,000 sick days and €45 billion in economic losses in France by 2040.
