The mechanisms by which particulate matter (PM) exposure disrupts cardiac function and worsens cardiovascular disease (CVD) are not well understood. There is a growing body of knowledge that suggests that PM exposure can induce inflammatory changes in blood vessels and exacerbate atherogenesis leading to the development of atherosclerotic plagues and lesions. We hypothesized that PM exposure would abnormally activate endothelial cells and induce vascular inflammation that will lead to the accelerated formation of arterial plagues which are a hallmark of atherosclerosis.