Environmental factors such as fine particulate matter, noise, heat, and toxic substances can significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide. An international team of researchers reports this in a review article published today in Cardiovascular Research. The detrimental effects, according to the scientists, are particularly severe when multiple environmental stressors co-occur. The experts therefore emphasize that the combined influence of these exposures and their complex interactions – the so-called multimodal exposome – should play a central role in designing preventive measures.