The air quality in Beijing improved because of less traffic during the 2008 Olympics, resulting in fewer heart problems, strokes, and blood clots; when the traffic went back to normal, so did the risk factors. These results were published in a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Dr. Tim Nawrot of Hasselt University in Belgium found in a separate study that “…5 percent of heart attacks are triggered by air pollution.” This factor, when combined with other factors such as diabetes, smoking, and obesity were found to increase the risk for heart attacks.

Read full article here: Beijing Olympics Show Air Pollution-Heart Attack Link