A new study supports previous research that found individuals who live close to major roadways and are exposed to traffic pollution have an increased risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who live further away from traffic congestion.

According to Reuters, Canadian researchers analyzed data on more than 450,000 Vancouver-area residents between the ages of 45 and 85 with no known heart disease for a period of nine years.

They say that although the risk of dying from heart disease was 29 percent higher for individuals who lived near high-traffic areas, they also found that the risk of heart disease death declined when individuals moved away from high-traffic roads during the study period. They also found that the risk of death increased among those who moved closer to congested roads.

In May, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a statement that new research had "substantially strengthened" the link between air pollution caused by exposure to fine particulate matter to an increased incidence of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths.

Sources of the particulate matter pollution include fossil fuel combustion from industry, traffic and power generation as well as biomass burning, heating, cooking, indoor activities and forest fires.