Abstract:
The public health burden of cardiovascular disease in the United States is enormous. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death in the U.S., respectively. Traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and age have long received much attention. Over the past two decades, however, focus has expanded to include environmental factors with numerous studies demonstrating a link between chronic exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Taken from the beginning of thesis.