Traffic pollution linked to cardiovascular issues

Being a city dweller can have a detrimental impact on your health. Researchers from the West German Heart Center state that living  near busy streets can cause heart disease.

This because long-term exposure to air particles from traffic pollution can clog the arteries, a process known as atherosclerosis.

Researchers at the centre in Essen studied 5,000 people with an average age of 60 and found those that live close to main roads were at a greater risk of cardiovascular disorders.

They said that for every 300ft a person lives closer to traffic, their risk is increased by ten per cent.

"Fine particle matters and traffic noise are believed to act through similar biologic pathways. This we think causes cardiovascular disease," said Dr Hagen Kalsch, who led the study.

The findings were presented at the EuroPRevent 2013 conference in Rome earlier this week.

A recent study in the US also linked a diet rich with red meats to increased risk of heart disease.

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