ASTHMA AND STORMS
So many people have had attacks of asthma at the same time in some cities that the term “asthma epidemic” has been justifiably used. Smog from automobile exhaust or industrial pollution has been the obvious cause in many of these epidemics, but for some of them (New Orleans and New York, for example), no obvious triggering cause could be identified.
Now, however, it seems that fungus spore fragments and particles of pollen too small to be easily detected by usual methods, may be the culprits for these mysterious asthma epidemics, the Lancet (1:1079) reports. Tiny allergy-provoking particles are produced during storms when rain beats on puffballs, other types of fungi, and upon seeding grass.
The damp air after storms may be a veritable allergenic soup, especially if the humidity remains high and has not necessarily been “washed” and purified by the rain, even if the larger dust particles have been settled, and the air smells fresh and clean. If there is no wind to blow the dampness away, it would therefore be wise for asthmatics to stay indoors for a day after heavy rain during the summer and fall.
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