Newswise reports that particulate matter like construction dust may cause heart problems for asthma sufferers, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.

In people with asthma, a slight increase of particulate matter in the outdoor air raised bad cholesterol and increased white blood cell counts (a sign of inflammation).

‘This research was all done with study participants just being outside and breathing outdoor air,’ says Dr. Karin Yeatts, research assistant professor of epidemiology at the UNC School of Public Health, a member of the UNC Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology, and the study