John is a 66-year-old who has worked with diesel vehicles most of his life. He has never been a smoker and exercises regularly.

His brother died of a heart attack at age 92. His wife has always been careful to ensure John is fed well with veggies and fruit, and lean meats especially since she had breast cancer. John’s blood pressure has always been normal.

John recently had a major heart attack that required a quadruple bypass.

Everyone was surprised, as he kept himself well. While ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is multifactorial, research suggests that chronic air pollution exposure, especially diesel particulates from vehicle emissions, may contribute to IHD.