Heart disease and diesel exhaust don't mix

If you have heart disease, do not exercise near heavy traffic. A workout indoors is a better option.

A European study recently released in the New England Journal of Medicine examined 20 males around the age of 60. Participants had experienced an earlier heart attack, had stents to keep the pipes clear, and were being treated to prevent a second heart attack. Now I hope they paid these guys some decent cash because each man rode a stationary bike in an enclosed chamber while breathing diluted diesel exhaust or clean, filtered air.

The hearts of the diesel exhaust inhalers had a drop in electrical activity two to six times more than when breathing the good stuff. Why the drop? The heart muscles were not getting enough blood. This is called exercise-induced ischemia, and the condition can trigger heart attack and possible death. Experts believe diesel exhaust particulates are to blame. An earlier U.S. study in 2000 also pointed the finger at microscopic air particulates, such as those found in diesel exhaust. Those darn trucks!