Burning Poison Ivy
- Thread starter El Wood
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jerrybob
Super Member
Ouch.......is that considered a STD?:laughing:
I assure you there was nothing ****** about it!
Poison Ivy oils on hand + taking a leak = rash on... well, you get the idea. It lasted about three weeks, to say I was MISERABLE is an understatement!!
SPIKER
Elite Member
As a teenager I partnered with my cousin and we ran landscaping business we both worked in it without issue and tore out and burnt a lot of it. most times only after it was dried for a while. Last time I burnt any was maybe 8 yrs ago when I cleaned up a neighbors back pad which had been overgrown for 15 yrs of P.I. I cut it off the concrete and rolled it up like carpet. it was 6" + thick and made rolls 4 or 5 feet wide by 12 or 15 feet. they rolled up really well & I tied them with binder-twine. hauled off 3 truck loads to my farm and piled them up to dry on my burn pile. fired it up with favorable wind and used couple quarts of used oil and gas mix. really really HOT fire and all smoke straight UP and out...
I DID get a few bumps when one of the big vines which was wet gouged up my forearm tearing my skin pretty bad so I can't complain too much. My brother and I walked some farm/woods land looking to buy and it was infested with it. we had my nephew with us, I was in shorts and short socks he had sweat pants on. I got one or two bumps on my ankle wading thru it when vines wrapped around my foot. he didnt get any and his son was covered head to toe...
he got his thin skin from his mom...
Mark
I DID get a few bumps when one of the big vines which was wet gouged up my forearm tearing my skin pretty bad so I can't complain too much. My brother and I walked some farm/woods land looking to buy and it was infested with it. we had my nephew with us, I was in shorts and short socks he had sweat pants on. I got one or two bumps on my ankle wading thru it when vines wrapped around my foot. he didnt get any and his son was covered head to toe...
he got his thin skin from his mom...Mark
Creamer
Elite Member
If you let it dry for a while as well as the wood that is with it, you get a very hot fire that 1) burns it without a lot of smoke and therefore the resin is oxidized and not much is contained in the smoke, and 2) the heat from the fire tends to carry what little particulate is left very high and disperses it so there is little risk. You should never burn it wet or in a fire where there is smoke. Burning it dry should be no big deal.
jerrybob
Super Member
Good to know.......although you had an opportunity to really tell a whopper! Sounds uncomfortable.....glad you're OK......:drink:
BrandonR
Bronze Member
The real story is the exact opposite, it's known as a "sensitizer" the more you're exposed to it the more likely you are to have a reaction. There is a small portion of the population that is actually immune but don't count on immunity since some people take longer than others to sensitize. I used to be able to handle it without any reaction till my late 20's then started getting it regularly when I was exposed, but my reaction is not as bad as others who get systemic reactions though.
pclausen
Veteran Member
I'm 47 and, knock on wood, show no signs of being any less immune to it now, compared to when I was a teenager. I'm in contact with it on a regular basis during the summer month maintaining my place. I have given it to my wife on occasion if I'm not very carefull about cleaning up thoroughly after working outdoors. When that happens, I normally end up 'suffering' a lot more than she does. :laughing:
SPIKER
Elite Member
almost same boat, I think my woman can get it upwind in a hurricane... She gets it off the dog, me or my clothing, or the mower after I trimmed the edges... it for some reason loves her sides and "ample upper regions" (maybe due to the down draft between them
) Mark
rich_ncal
Gold Member
If you have a burn pile with a mix of recently live poison oak in the pile, then get anyone super sensitive out of area before burning, and stay away from the smoke.
henrysMFGC2310TBL
Bronze Member
Along with poison Ivy and other plants already mentioned that can cause skin irritations is Cedar. My wife and I were cleaning out some Cedar hedges and she got the resin on her face and it swelled up, so I imagine burning it would be as bad as PI.
We have a 5 leaf vine that grows in the big old trees by itself and along with poison ivy and grapes. When I'm yanking it down from the tractor seat with a loader fork it all looks the same to me. Similar to Virginia creeper but I've never seen any berries. The wife says, ah that's not poison. Then in the evening when we are sitting on the porch watching the sunset she says, why are you scratching? Then I head for the hydrocortisone.
Creamer
Elite Member
The chipper will release the resins into the air. Do not chip it. If you want to remove it the best thing to do is kill it and let it dry out. If you have to handle live PI, do it when it does not have leaves preferably in mid-winter when you can cover up and the plant is dormant.
super55
Platinum Member
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I ran some through a chipper years ago when I used to work landscaping. I would say running through a chipper is even worse than burning. It is impossible to keep the dust and debris off you. And yes I did end up getting poison Ivy from that. The best advice I can give is handle it as little as possible.
Burning the brush pile in your original pic I think is still your best option as long as you are away from houses and stay upwind. Hopefully it has had some time to sit and dry out. Thats not a very large brush pile and the brush is small diameter so it should burn pretty quick. The place where a lot of problems occur with burning is when it smolders as when burning it with leaves or doing a blanket burn trying to remove the vegetation off of a given area. Both of those scenarios create "cold" fires and create a lot of smoke.
medic0648
Gold Member
The oil can be active for 12-18 months after the plant is dead. A good mix of water and dawn helps cut the oil down a lot.
dave1949
Super Star Member
Same for bee venom as I understand it. If you react strongly to a bee sting, the next one can be a lot worse.
Paul Thornton
Gold Member
I got a case of it as a kid when it was burned, eyes swollen shut, in my mouth, nose, and throat. It was not a very pleasant experience.
L2800 w/FEL - 72" Land Pride rake
L2800 w/FEL - 72" Land Pride rake
Dr_Zinj
Veteran Member
Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac all have the same active ingredient, Urushiol oil. Urushiol is an allergen, so it's an allergic reaction, not a acid burn. Which also means that lye and baking soda will NOT neutralize it (but the baking soda may absorb some of it, reducing the quantity you're exposed to.) The best way to deal with these poisonous plants is to treat them as war-fighting blister agents. I am NOT kidding you.
Because it's an allergen, the more contact you have with it, the more likely you are to develop sensitivity to it, and the more likely you will have a stronger reaction to it. Burning the plants basically aerosolizes the oils, carrying it in droplet form and adhering to soot particles. Inhalation of something you're allergic to is a good way to painfully kill yourself, or be so bad off you wish you were dead. Poison Ivy is not a contagious condition, but you can spread any remaining oil residue if you haven't cleaned it off; and that includes cleaning it off your clothes, tools, and pets.
As a young kid, I'd walk through poison ivy without any problems. But when I was 6, the neighbor's burned a field off with it. We thought it was cool to run through the smoke, until a couple hours later when I came down with a systemic reaction: hard to breath, intense itching, and redness & swelling followed by blistering hives all over my body. Did I mention intense itching? Took weeks to recover and I was highly sensitive for decades afterwards. I could catch a new rash of poison ivy just from minute amounts of oil on the surface of the water on a pond or off the cat or dog.
Because it's an allergen, the more contact you have with it, the more likely you are to develop sensitivity to it, and the more likely you will have a stronger reaction to it. Burning the plants basically aerosolizes the oils, carrying it in droplet form and adhering to soot particles. Inhalation of something you're allergic to is a good way to painfully kill yourself, or be so bad off you wish you were dead. Poison Ivy is not a contagious condition, but you can spread any remaining oil residue if you haven't cleaned it off; and that includes cleaning it off your clothes, tools, and pets.
As a young kid, I'd walk through poison ivy without any problems. But when I was 6, the neighbor's burned a field off with it. We thought it was cool to run through the smoke, until a couple hours later when I came down with a systemic reaction: hard to breath, intense itching, and redness & swelling followed by blistering hives all over my body. Did I mention intense itching? Took weeks to recover and I was highly sensitive for decades afterwards. I could catch a new rash of poison ivy just from minute amounts of oil on the surface of the water on a pond or off the cat or dog.
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Dr_Zinj
Veteran Member
Here’s what I did when I had to clear out a half acre of poison ivy.
1. When you’re working around poisonous plants, wear long pants, long sleeves shirts, washable gloves and footwear. When you are done working in that area, IMMEDIATELY change your clothes. And make sure you don’t touch the outsides of the dirty clothes you’re taking off. Wash those clothes in hot, soapy water with a lot of a grease cutting detergent. Washing them twice isn’t a bad idea either. Just do wear them again until you do wash them.
2. After you strip the clothes off and toss them in the washer, you need to wash up. You’re your hands with cold water and soap first, including lathering up to your elbows. Do NOT use an abrasive soap or scrub brush as you will cause micro abrasions to your skin which allows direct contact with the oil. Now you can take that shower, not a bath (see the remark above about oil on ponds.) Wash once with lukewarm water and grease cutting soap. Once that’s done, now you can take your regular warm shower with your scrubby.
3. Actual work. Spray the poisonous plants with an herbicide several weeks before you have to work there. Dry dead plants don’t spray poisonous juice the way fresh live ones do.
4. Work carefully, trying not to scatter the poison ivy around. (Mowing is a very BAD idea – think of a cuisinart filled with acid and spraying the contents as far as you can.) I tried to do work by filling a load exclusively with poison products and the other earth and rock movement only after the area was cleared.
5. Bury the plants. Because they were sprayed with herbicide, they’re unlikely to grow back. However, you can spray them again before you bury them.
6. Double check the area cleared, and the burial site every couple of weeks for the next year or two. Apply herbicide to any plant that decides to stick a three lobed leaf up.
After the second year, never had another plant in that area.
That may sound like overkill, but after 20 hours of handwork in that contaminated environment, I only had 2 small blisters on my wrist; and those dried up and healed within 2 weeks.
1. When you’re working around poisonous plants, wear long pants, long sleeves shirts, washable gloves and footwear. When you are done working in that area, IMMEDIATELY change your clothes. And make sure you don’t touch the outsides of the dirty clothes you’re taking off. Wash those clothes in hot, soapy water with a lot of a grease cutting detergent. Washing them twice isn’t a bad idea either. Just do wear them again until you do wash them.
2. After you strip the clothes off and toss them in the washer, you need to wash up. You’re your hands with cold water and soap first, including lathering up to your elbows. Do NOT use an abrasive soap or scrub brush as you will cause micro abrasions to your skin which allows direct contact with the oil. Now you can take that shower, not a bath (see the remark above about oil on ponds.) Wash once with lukewarm water and grease cutting soap. Once that’s done, now you can take your regular warm shower with your scrubby.
3. Actual work. Spray the poisonous plants with an herbicide several weeks before you have to work there. Dry dead plants don’t spray poisonous juice the way fresh live ones do.
4. Work carefully, trying not to scatter the poison ivy around. (Mowing is a very BAD idea – think of a cuisinart filled with acid and spraying the contents as far as you can.) I tried to do work by filling a load exclusively with poison products and the other earth and rock movement only after the area was cleared.
5. Bury the plants. Because they were sprayed with herbicide, they’re unlikely to grow back. However, you can spray them again before you bury them.
6. Double check the area cleared, and the burial site every couple of weeks for the next year or two. Apply herbicide to any plant that decides to stick a three lobed leaf up.
After the second year, never had another plant in that area.
That may sound like overkill, but after 20 hours of handwork in that contaminated environment, I only had 2 small blisters on my wrist; and those dried up and healed within 2 weeks.
