Yet one more reason to push for low-emission vehicles (hybrids or other) and healthy eating: "Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York University School of Medicine have shown a direct cause-and-effect link between exposure to fine particle (PM) air pollution and the development of atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries." In the tests on mice, PM air pollution increased the risk of artery-hardening plaque deposits by 150%. "The study showed that the combination of fine particle pollution and high-fat diet can promote the development of atherosclerosis, and may explain why people who live in highly polluted areas have a higher risk of heart disease. The findings are also important because the fine particle concentrations used in the study were well within the range of concentrations found in the air around major metropolitan areas." So drop that burger before you drop dead. ::Air Pollution, High-Fat Diet Cause Atherosclerosis in Laboratory Mice, via ::Green Car Congress. ::Telecommuting: Why don't you stay home?, ::Pennsylvania to Tehran: Still Sick of Smog, ::Truck Stop Electrification To Fight Pollution, ::Big Brother is Watching Your Emissions!, ::Umbra on the Health Impacts of Biking in Traffic