Tiny air pollution particles – the type that mainly comes from power plants and automobiles – may greatly increase the chance of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease , according to USC-led research. Scientists and engineers found that older women who live in places with fine particulate matter exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard are 81 percent more at risk for global cognitive decline and 92 percent more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s.