Toxic dust - long & scary read on valley fever in the USA

Dust storms in the West stir up microscopic spores of the toxic soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides immitis. The Centers for Disease Control reports a tenfold increase in infections, some of them fatal. Credit Mark J. Rebilas In 1977, the San Joaquin Valley—the swath of agricultural land that runs through central California—was designated a disaster area.