Musk Brain Implant Firm Violated U.S. Hazardous Material Rules

Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink was fined for violating US Department of Transportation (DOT) rules regarding the movement of hazardous materials, according to records from the federal agency, Marisa Taylor of Reuters reported.

During inspections of the company's facilities in Texas and California in February 2023, DOT investigators found the company had failed to register itself as a transporter of hazardous material, the agency's records show. I Photo: Leijurv Wikimedia Commons

During inspections of the company's facilities in Texas and California in February 2023, DOT investigators found the company had failed to register itself as a transporter of hazardous material, the agency's records show.

They also found improper packaging of hazardous waste, including the flammable liquid Xylene. Xylene can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, loss of muscle coordination, and even death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Neuralink's violations once again reveal the company's sloppy, unsafe practices," said Ryan Merkley, the director of research advocacy of the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

DOT fined the company a total of $2,480, an amount lower than what was initially assessed because the company agreed to fix the problems, the records show.

A spokesperson with Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the DOT agency that investigated Neuralink, confirmed the violations and fine, and said the inquiry is now closed.

Reuters reviewed the records detailing the violations from the PCRM, an advocacy group that opposes the use of animals in medical research. PCRM obtained the documents through an open records request.

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