About 61% of US adults will have cardiovascular disease by 2050, new research from the American Heart Association predicts. The biggest driver of this trend will be the large number of people who have or will develop high blood pressure, which makes them much more likely to develop dangerous problems like a heart attack or stroke.

The projected rise in heart disease and stroke – along with several key risk factors, including high blood pressure and obesity – is likely to triple related costs to $1.8 trillion by 2050, according to two American Heart Association presidential advisories published Tuesday in the AHA journal Circulation.

Exposure to heavy metals has been linked to cancer, neurological harms, and reproductive or developmental issues. Now, a new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide — cardiovascular disease.