Tiny pollution particles produced by vehicle engines and industry are known to worsen heart disease and raise the risk of stroke, but a new study suggests they might also be planting the seeds for cardiovascular disease early on.
In healthy young adults with no signs of heart disease, researchers found that exposure to fine pollution particles known as PM 2.5 led to inflammation-causing changes in immune cells and a rise in debris in the bloodstream representing dead endothelial cells, the type that line blood vessel walls.
