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Unregulated air pollution particles about one-thousandth the width of a human hair may be a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study.

Nano-size pollutants from vehicles can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, putting people at risk of cardiovascular problems, researchers said in a study published today in Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association. The pollutants may cause arteries to harden by impairing the protective qualities of so-called good cholesterol.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn't regulate the nano-size particles, which can't be captured using current filtering technology. The pollutants, abundant in urban areas, are less than 0.18 micrometers in size and cause four times more artery buildup than particles four times larger, said Jesus Araujo, director of environmental cardiology at University of California, Los Angeles.

"People who are living around and are exposed to high air pollution have a higher risk of developing heart disease," Araujo, the study's lead author, said in an interview Thursday. "This has serious implications from a public-health standpoint."

The EPA regulates "fine particles" that are about 2.5 micrometers in size. Araujo said people with a history of heart disease should be especially cautious about being exposed to high levels of pollution. Such Web sites as www.airnow.gov can be used to check air quality in particular areas at specific times of the day, he said.

The study's findings could mean current estimates about the risk of heart problems caused by pollution are too low. Previous studies indicated a 25 percent increase in the risk of having a cardiovascular event for each 10 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate, and the latest findings mean the risk may actually be greater than that, Araujo said.

"People may not be aware of the risk they have," he said.

Researchers plan to develop a way for doctors to assess the amount of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants and measure people's risk of developing heart problems.