This article is a commentary on the following study: Finkelstein MM, Jerrett M, Sears MR. Traffic air pollution and mortality rate advancement periods. Am J Epidemiol. 2004 Jul 15;160(2):173-7. The study aims to characterize the impact of exposure to vehicle pollution near traffic routes in terms of the average lead time for mortality rates. The results are compared to the effects on mortality of several chronic diseases: diabetes, chronic ischemic heart disease, and chronic lung diseases other than asthma. (Excerpt from the article)