PHOENIX — With Valley Fever resulting from blowing dust or parasites hiding in flood waters, our monsoon storms carry a number of health risks and studies show monsoons can also trigger an asthma attack.

Incidents of thunderstorm asthma have been documented in the US and Australia. Surprisingly, it’s not the dust but, the lightning causing the reaction.

ABC15 Health Insider Dr. Shad Marvasti explains how the osmotic forces in lightning can rupture otherwise minuscule pollen grains and mold. The wind then releases them into the air, making them easy to inhale.

In the video above Dr. Shad discusses the science, and outlines ways to manage asthma in addition to traditional medicine and inhalers.