In an exclusive from Reuters, it was reported that Elon Musk's Neuralink has received a fine for violating US DOT (Department Of Transportation) rules regarding the transportation of hazardous materials. The department conducted its investigations at the company facilities in both Texas and California in February of 2023 and found that the company did not register itself as a transporter of said hazardous materials when looking into the company's records.
The Materials
One of the hazardous materials was the flammable liquid Xylene which has been known to cause various effects ranging from headaches, confusion, loss of muscle coordination, and in some cases death according to the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The company was fined $2,480 which was a smaller amount than initially expected. However, the company has agreed to resolve these issues. An unnamed spokesperson of the DOT agency confirmed the violations as well as the fine and has declared that the inquiry is now closed. However, Neuralink did not provide any comment at the time of writing. The records also do not disclose why the company would need to transport these materials or whether any harm had resulted from these violations. Neuralink received the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) clearance just last year for its first test trial for its human implant chips that would allow those suffering from paralysis to control external devices through their thoughts.
The investigation was initiated by the DOT after Reuters had reported that employees had made internal complaints regarding animal experiments being rushed and resulting in needless suffering and death. In a statement regarding these violations Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the non-profit PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), disclosed that "Neuralink's violations once again reveal the company's sloppy, unsafe practices." This isn't the only company of Musk that has been seeing recent issues as X formerly known as Twitter has recently seen a 71% decline in value as reported by HNGN.
