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Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to research published on 19 September 2018. The link remained even after heavy drinking, smoking and other well established risk factors for dementia were ruled out, the researchers reported in medical journal BMJ Open. Worldwide, about 7 per cent of people over 65 suffer from Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia, a percentage that rises to 40 per cent above the age of 85. The number afflicted worldwide is expected to nearly triple by 2050, posing a huge challenge to healthcare systems.