Heavy traffic can be heartbreaking

"The decline in highway traffic that was brought on by last summer's spike in gas prices may be a boon to heart health. That's because automobile emissions are among a long list of risk factors for heart disease and stroke. 'There's a very coherent and consistent body of data that links particulate air pollution with cardiovascular disease and premature death,' said Dr. Ted Schettler, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, an environmental and public health advocacy group. Among the latest evidence: a German study published recently in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, which found that people who live near heavy traffic are more likely to develop atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which can boost the risk of heart disease" - HealthDay News