Monsoon showers come as a relief, but for many they are also the harbingers of health irritants -allergies. The other bad news is that Chennai, according to a study done by IIT-M, has high levels of fungal spores, the main allergens, during the northeast monsoon.
Fungal spores, which are bioaerosols or microscopic particles released from fungi into the air, may cause skin allergy , cough, wheezing, itchy and redness in the eye and runny nose.They can equally harm plants and animals.

IIT-M researchers had collected samples in polycarbonate filter paper during October and November to study their morphological features. The results showed that about 55% of the total 51 bioaerosol particles were fungal spores, predominantly belonging to basidiomycota group that constitutes mushrooms, puffballs, rust and smuts.................Read more

Source: The Times of India