Rush-hour commute 'could cause heart disease'

A new study has found that the traffic-related air pollution drivers are exposed to on their twice-daily journey to work could have deadly affects on the heart.

The University of Washington Medical Center found that prolonged exposure to car pollution was directly linked to cardiovascular disease, heart failure and cardiac arrest, the Daily Mail reports.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the study's author Dr. Peter Leary said: "Using exposure to nitrogen dioxide as a surrogate for exposure to traffic-related air pollution, we were able to demonstrate for the first time that higher levels of exposure were associated with greater right ventricular mass and larger right ventricular end-diastolic volume. Greater right ventricular mass is also associated with increased risk for heart failure and cardiovascular death."

According to WTOP, a report written by researchers from the University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Cooper Institute in Dallas showed that a commute of more than 10 miles is associated with higher blood sugar.

Higher cholesterol, depression and a spike in blood pressure were also linked to commutes of 10 miles or more.

Related articles

Could your commute be a killer?

Air around Buckingham Palace is most polluted in Britain