Car Exhaust Health Concerns

Vehicle exhaust associated with respiratory illnesses, heart problems.

The New York Times (1/13, A18, Wald) reports, "Exhaust from cars and trucks exacerbates asthma in children and may cause new cases as well as other respiratory illnesses and heart problems resulting in deaths," according to a report issued by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute. The review showed "'evidence of a causal relationship,' but not proof of one, between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function and accelerated hardening of arteries." The report also "said there was 'strong evidence' that exposure to traffic helped cause variations in heart rate and other heart ailments that result in deaths." But, the authors noted that some studies they evaluated did not distinguish "stress and noise from air pollution as a cause."