Euphorbia - a serious warning

[David Kilpatrick]

I am barely able to type this. This evening, I was stupid enough to pull up half a dozen large euphorbia plants (species unknown, 3-5ft tall, very mature) withe bare hands. I got some latex sap on my hands, ran them under the garden tap, realised this was not working, then thoroughly washed my hands indoors with Carex soap and hot water - but nothing more.

Two hours later my eyes began to smart like acid had been thrown in my face. I eyebathed them, then took a bath myself and washed my hands more. By 11pm I was in agony, but had to drive 15 miles to A&E - who could do very little. I had only got, at the most, traces of euphorbia sap near my eyes - tiny traces. It does not wash off, it's rubbery and alkaline (caustic I think).

I refused local anaesthetic to both eyes, but had them inspected, no corneal damage so far. I managed to get back home. I'm still unable to do much, wearing dark glasses with the lights out indoors. I just hope I can sleep, and that it has worn off by tomorrow.

Do not mess with euphorbias without gloves, goggles and full clothing.

David

[InTheSky]

ho my god ! I don't have all the right word in english, but I hope you will be better and you be in good shape soon.

Regards,

Frank

[David Kilpatrick]

I've taken two antihistamines, three painkillers and two beers (OK, not recommended, but I needed it) and I can just use the iMac now. Earlier post was on my laptop turned down to minimum brightness. Still got eyes which burn every time I blink, but I think I can sleep. Read all the reports on websites, trace level contact like mine clears up in 12 hours. Had I accidentally splashed sap into an eye, I would have been off work for a month and could have risked losing the sight of the eye.

My garden contains many wild poisonous and medicinal plants. I have tolerated the euphorbias as they are spectacularly beautiful and grow from a seeding to a huge bush in three or four months. Also, they seem to be unique to my garden. I have never seen these anywhere else, they look like something from a different country.

Last year I also tolerated a 10 ft tall giant hogweed. From now one, these things get pulled up when they are too young to kill you.

David

[bakubo]

Normally one doesn't expect such dire consequences from performing such a routine, trivial task. Who would expect that one's eyesight might be put in jeopardy? Best of luck! I hope the pain goes away soon and there are no lingering effects. That is a scary incident.

[Greg Beetham]

Yes plants with milky sap can be dangerous, over here the one too watch out for is oleander, it is an attractive plant with lots of lovely flowers but can be very dangerous with children about.
You might have had a close call there David......if any of that stuff had actually got in your eye.....
It seems the treatment is "Prednisone tablets & prescription strength cortisone cream" from a website I was reading.
http://www.theamateursdigest.com/epoisons.htm
Greg

[Winston]

Geez man, that's awful. I hope it works out OK and soon!

Is this the one that got you?

[KevinBarrett]

Hope all goes well and you make a speedy recovery, David.

[InTheSky]

I just read on the web that this is acting as power full red chilli pepper, and in case of reaction on skin Milk should be use to heal (or hand cream). If this happen again, go in the fridge and do a Ceopatra bath. I remember a few month ago having made the mistake to put my finger in my eyes doing cooking with hot chilli pepper I was starting to become crazy ... when I remember a TV show telling to use milk ... (thanks to this moment of TV learning), like magic, after putting milk in my eyes everything stop.

Always useful to have milk in the fridge ...

Regards,

Frank

[David Kilpatrick]

I only got a trace of the stuff left on my hands, fortunately my eyes subsided overnight - stuck together in the morning, but no longer burning, able to wash them and recover relatively normal appearance (puts a few years on though!). Although the strength can be compared to chilli, apparently the remedies are all ineffective, it's not a pH issue but caused by Di or Tri-tirpenes and the latex is not water soluble once exposed to air and on your skin. That's why although I washed my hands twice, thoroughly, all I did was create a microlayer of the stuff all over my skin.

The hospital couldn't really help (not one person there recognised the word 'euphorbia' - had to spell it every time). They initially wanted to inject a local on both eyes, irrigate with 1 litre water, and get me to sit wearing eyepads for an hour. That is the correct procedure if there's a foreign body or caustic/acid involved. I had already bathed both eyes very thoroughly and I knew this would do no good at all. I then explained exactly what had happened to the doctor, again, and he agreed instead to do a fluorescein inspection for any sign of corneal damage or foreign bodies. That was OK, my vision was still perfect despite the pain (right down to the last letter on the chart), so I was loaded up with another antihistamine and headed back home. He refused to give me any antibacterial eyedrops as he said they might inhibit recovery (the NHS Helpline had suggested I need some).

I then took two Anadin Extra, a couple of beers and further paracetamol - while wearing a Sony baseball cap and sunglasses indoors with the lights turned off... this stuff had the strange effect of hurting more in brighter light.

I was able to use my Macbook turned down to minimum brightness (I could not use my iMac, the screen brightness hurt) and found a few more case history stories which confirmed that for microscopic traces of the sap, irrigation does no good, but 7-8 hours might be needed for the burning pain to go away. If it didn't, then I needed to get to the hospital again, because if there's enough of this stuff in the eye to persist beyond 12 hours, permanent damage can result. It is also carcinogenic.

So, very relieved to get some sleep (not very sound) and find that around 5am my eyes had stopped watering and I was able to drop off properly.

Before I do any more weeding or cutting/strimming I think I'll get some goggles. I have too many poisonous plants in the 'garden', not to mention sharp/stinging ones.

All is well in the end, but everyone, be careful - I've read some of the case histories of direct contact with eyes, and I had no idea it could be so serious.

David

[bossel]

Ouch! Mean flowers! You give them a space for living in your garden, water, care and then they attack you. Get well soon, gute Besserung, bonne récupération, geçmis olsun...

[ianmiddy]

I've never trusted anything green or flowery since watching "Day Of The Triffids", lol!

Hope it's cleared up completely, now...

Cheers

IDM

[paulmurphy]

Hope everything settles down David,

There is a specialist eye unit in the RVI in Newcastle if you need to speak to some-one who knows more than the local hospital casualty units

Best wishes

Paul

[Birma]

A nasty incident DK and glad to hear you are on the mend. Best wishes for a full recovery soon.

An important lesson for the those in the garden. I wonder if John Wyndham had a similar experience before writing Day of the Triffids?

[roysmith]

That's an awful accident, hope you get well soon, David!

[braeside]

Sorry to hear about that David, hope you will make a full recovery soon.

We have giant hogweed in the field beside us and I know how dangerous that can be, it sensitises the skin to sunlight and causes burns.

I will look up Euphorbia and make sure we don't have any just in case.