Researchers from Birmingham University studied atmospheric emissions in England for the period 1996-2004 and attributed some 4,000 extra pneumonia deaths each year to engine pollution.
The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, reports a "strong correlation" between high levels of pollution and the deaths of thousands of people in England.
In total, 386,374 people died of pneumonia during the eight years examined. Pollution is also linked to higher rates of some cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and rheumatic heart disease.
"High mortality rates were observed in areas with elevated ambient pollution levels," Professor George Knox, who wrote the report, told BBC news. "The strongest single effect was an increase in pneumonia deaths."
"Many 'pneumonia' deaths were probably caused by direct chemical injury, as in the 1952 London smog, and thus are better regarded as 'acute respiratory distress syndrome' or 'acute lung injury'," Knox concluded.
Though traffic is seen as the chief source of the emissions responsible, researchers conclude that more detailed research needs to be carried out into the impact of air pollution before linking the exhaust fumes to increased deaths from pneumonia.
