Fungus inside the EX3 stock lens

[ramji om]

Hi Alister please help me.
I keep my EX3 in a petrol carrying bag. My house is in Mumbai, just in front of sea.I thought the silicon gel is sufficient to protect it from humidity.Today, after a gap of one month I opened the bag to change the gel and shocked to see a small spot of fungus just inside the front element of the stock lens. Although it is near the center but doesn't seem to affect the image . I am worried as it may spread.Can it go away if I keep the lens in sunlight? What is the remedy can you

[alisterchapman]

You can try leaving the lens in sunlight to help kill the fungus and stop it spreading. It may also be possible for an engineer to remove the front element and clean it. Silica gel in a soft bag is of little use because the bag will not stop the humidity and moisture, so the Silica gel very quickly becomes saturated with moisture and will no longer work. Perhaps it would be better for you to store the camera in a sealed plastic bag or peli type case with freshly baked silica gel or new silica gel. Baking the silica gel gently in an oven will dry it out so it can be used again.