Poison Oak Question

grumpygy

How does breathing the smoke of Burning poison Oak give you a rash. I thought it would cause you lung problems which would be worse than the rash.


It was just on the news some lady complaining about it. me I think she just did not know what she was rolling in and got it.

EhlerDave

Not sure how you get it from smoke but my Gramma walked through the smoke when we were burning a big pile of the stuff and she wound up in the hospital.

Old-Colts

Sounds like she really didn't breathe it, but instead the oils in the smoke got on her skin.

A J Christ

There's an oil in/on poison oak/ivy that causes the rash some of us get.

Burning the plant puts this oil in the air. Get it inside your respiratory tract and you'll end up in the hospital.

Queen of Swords

From what I understand, this is not an advisble way to get rid if it.

It isn't a rash you have to worry about when you burn it, it causes nasty respiratory issues.

grumpygy

Thats kind of what I thought. I get it bad. But since my cats stay inside, rashes are gone. Took a while for me to figure that one out. Kept telling the doctor I know what it looks like and I was not in it.

grumpygy

quote:Originally posted by rcrxs old lady
From what I understand, this is not an advisble way to get rid if it.

It isn't a rash you have to worry about when you burn it, it causes nasty respiratory issues.


Heard if you really want to burn it do it in the winter.

grumpygy

Just sent the news station an e-mail. They are telling folk to wear a mask so they will not get the rash.

Told them they had better do a little more research this subject.

11b6r

Wear a mask? HAH !! Try more like wearing a Level A HAZMAT suit, with a SCBA !

Consiering the accuracy of news media with anything to do with guns, why would you expect them to get THIS one right?

alan self

I don't know about the smoke but once I went out in the bushes to water a tree & guess got it on my hands then on a very important part of me. Wife though it was very funny. Also hard to treat.

Nurse Debbie

The oil in poison oak (urusiol oil) can become airborne by fire. If you inhale the smoke it will cause severe respiratory problems. The smoke also carries the microscopic droplets of oil and will irritate your skin where ever it comes into contact with your skin. This stuff is so potent that an ounce can affect the whole world population. About 50% of all people are allergic to the urusiol oil in poison ivy.

If you suspect that you have come in contact with this nuisance wash thoroughly with soap and water. Cleansing the area with isopropyl alcohol helps tremendously. Take all clothing that came in contact and wash in hot water by their selves. The oil will cling to your clothing if not properly washed.

Ever heard someone say that they can catch it from just looking at it? Well you can't but if you have the oil on your clothing or if you have a cat or dog that goes outside you can come in contact with the oil.

Knifecollector

Or you boil the leaves in water and make a tea from it, if it doesn't kill you , you'll wish you were dead. I've heard from several sources that someone in my area did exactly that. Thet had mistaken the poison oak leaves for something else.

grumpygy

Update: heard from the News station.

quote:Dear David,

For this story, we interviewed a trained paramedic at a local fire department who says although these cases are rare, it can happen. We also checked with Oregon Poison Control, who also confirms that this can happen. One of their hotline workers says that it's not unheard of for people to get poison oak after inhaling smoke that contains the oil allergen in plant, especially firefirghters when they inhale the smoke. If you have any more questions about this, you can call Oregon Poison Control at 503 494-8311. Thank you for writing.

Wrote them back and informed them they Missunderstood Poison control.