Volkswagen may be charged with pollution deaths

Errant car manufacturer Volkswagen could face corporate manslaughter charges in the United States if its deliberate rigging of vehicle emission tests can be linked to pollution deaths by road users there.

A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston estimates 53,000 premature deaths every year in the US can be attributed to air-pollutant emissions from “road transportation” sources.

While some observers believe such charges are unlikely, US authorities have shown their keenness to prosecute major corporations to the fullest extent of the law, among them BP for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 which pleaded guilty to manslaughter.