Air pollution from traffic was associated with changes in the right side of the human heart, a study from the University of Washington Schools of Public Health and Medicine has found. The finding adds to the body of evidence supporting a connection between traffic-related air pollution and cardiovascular disease, researchers said.

The study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. It was led by Peter Leary, MD, a PhD student in epidemiology and an acting instructor in the School of Medicine. The study sample included nearly 4,000 participants taking part in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. MRI scans were compared with estimates of the participant's exposure to outdoor oxides of nitrogen over the previous year. Nitrogen oxide is a byproduct of combustion.

"We were able to demonstrate for the first time that higher levels of exposure were associated with great right ventricular mass and larger right ventricular end-diastolic volume," Leary said. "Great right ventricular mass is also associated with increased risk for heart failure and cardiovascular death."

The link between traffic-related air pollution and changes in the left ventricle, heart failure, and cardiovascular death has already been established, he noted.

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