Exhaust fumes might threaten people’s hearts

Grimy diesel exhaust doesn’t just stink up highways. The nanoparticles in diesel fumes also thwart proteins that dissolve blood clots, researchers have discovered, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks.

Studies had already shown that diesel fumes worsen cholesterol’s ill effects (SN: 8/11/07, p. 93), and that people living in highly polluted areas are more likely to have heart attacks.