How does fossil fuel-funded research affect policy?

Bertie speaks to Agathe Bounfour, Oil Investigations Lead at Transport and Environment, about her investigation into the fossil funded research group CONCAWE.

The investigation revealed that CONCAWE undermined the European Union's attempt to regulate human exposure to benzene, a carcinogenic pollutant. After oil industry lobbying and research, the new regulated limit from 2024 will be ten times higher than the original suggestions from scientific agencies. 

Read the full investigation here.

Podcast editing by Vasko Kostovski.

Further reading:

• 'Action to tackle air pollution failing to keep up with research', The Guardian, 2023
• 'Benzene and worker cancers: ‘An American tragedy’', The Center for Public Integrity, 2014
• Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway, 2012
• Doubt is Their Product: How industry's assault on science threatens your health, David Michaels, 2008 

Click here to read our investigation into the UK biomass supply chain, or watch a clip from the BBC Newsnight documentary.