Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and the No. 1 cause of death for women. Some of the environmental factors that increase the risk for heart disease include smoking and secondhand smoke, exposure to some metals (such as arsenic, lead or mercury) and air pollution.

Resources

Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Heart Disease and the Environment Peer-Reviewed Analysis

Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Factors Weigh Heavy on the Heart factsheet