Nanoparticles, inhaled from sources such as vehicle exhausts, have been shown to cross from the lungs into the blood stream. They can then accumulate in areas susceptible to heart problems, according to research part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.
Previous studies have identified a correlation but not a causal link between nanoparticles and strokes or cardiovascular disease. It is not currently possible to measure environmental nanoparticles in the blood. So, researchers from the University of Edinburgh, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, used a variety of specialist techniques to t