Poisonous Plants

Poison Ivy FAQs

Toxicodendron Radicans

Poison Ivy is native throughout the United States and much of southern Canada and can be found in a wide variety of locations including dry or wet woodlands, thickets, valleys, clearings, fence rows, roadsides and waste ground. It can appear as a bushy, erect or trailing shrub in sunny areas or as a woody climbing vine. The climbing vines have aerial rootlets. All parts of the plant contain a toxic oil called urushiol that causes significant and long-lasting skin irritations (allergic dermatitis) in most human beings. Infection can occur from direct contact with the plant, indirect contact (e.g., dog, rake or boots) or from breathing smoke from a fire of plant material. Some humans seem to be immune.

Poison Ivy always have pointed tips and cluster around a stem in threes, the middle leaf being larger than the outer ones. Growing as a low shrub or vine, the poison ivy’s leaves are green in summer, yellow or orange in fall, and have a reddish hue in spring. Yellow-green flowers and whitish berries often appear in the summer.

The Rash (Contact dermatitis)

Poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic reaction to an oily resin called urushiol. It’s found in poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

After contact with urushiol, approximately 50+ percent of people develop signs and symptoms of poison ivy dermatitis. The symptoms and severity differ from person to person. The amount of time it takes for a rash to appear depends on whether you’ve had a rash from one of the plants before. Here’s the general rule:

• Previous rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac: A rash usually appears within 4 to 48 hours.
  
• Never had a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac: It typically takes 2 to 3 weeks.

No matter how long it takes for the rash to appear, most people experience the following when they get a rash:

1. The skin itches intensely where the rash will appear. The itch can be so intense that it wakes you from a sound sleep.
   
2. Shortly after your skin starts to itch, the rash appears. Most people develop an itchy, red, and blistering rash.
   
3. If you have blisters, they break open and leak fluid.
   
4. The blisters crust over, and the rash clears in 2 to 3 weeks. The rash will clear without treatment, but it can be extremely itchy until it clears completely.
   

The intensity of the itch and severity of the rash can differ from person to person. Some people develop 1 or 2 small rashes. Others develop rashes all over.

The blisters can occur at different times in different people; blisters can develop on the arms several days after blisters on the hands developed. This does not mean that the reaction is spreading from one area of the body to the other. The fluid that leaks from blisters does not spread the rash. Poison ivy dermatitis is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person. However, urushiol can be carried under fingernails and on clothes; if another person comes in contact with the urushiol, he or she can develop poison ivy dermatitis.

Treatment

You can treat the rash at camp if the participant:

• Has a mild rash
• Developed a rash on a small section of skin

To treat a mild rash and help stop the itch, WisCorps recommends the following:

• Rinse and clease the area with TECNU!
  
  • It’s best to act within the first 8 hours after exposure.
    
  • Apply Tecnu directly to dry skin, massaging thoroughly for two minutes. Use enough for it to stay very wet when rubbing on skin for a couple of minutes.
    
  • Rinse with cool or tepid water to remove the rash-causing oil. Tecnu is a skin cleanser that is safe to use as often as you would like. However, if it starts drying out your skin or irritation occurs, discontinue use.
    
    
  • ALREADY HAVE A RASH?!
    • 1. Rub Tecnu Original Outdoor Skin Cleanser on affected skin & surrounding areas. Avoid breaking skin. 
      2. Rinse off with cool running water (not a bath) to remove Tecnu & poison oils.
      
      
• Apply an over-the-counter cortisone cream or ointment for the first few days.
  
  
• Apply calamine lotion or creams containing menthol.
  
  
• Take oral antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which may also help you sleep better. An over-the-counter antihistamine that won’t make you so drowsy is loratadine (Alavert, Claritin, others).
  
  
• Place cool, wet compresses on the affected area for 15 to 30 minutes several times a day.
  

Wash your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of the clothes you were wearing when you came into contact with the poisonous plant. The oil can stick to clothing, and if it touches your skin, it can cause another rash.

Do not scratch, as scratching can cause an infection.

Leave blisters alone. If blisters open, do not remove the overlying skin, as the skin can protect the raw wound underneath and prevent infection.

Medical Care

Workers’ Compensation?

Yes, contact dermititis rashes requiring medical attention WILL be covered by WisCorps’ Workers’ Compensation.

When To Seek Medical Care?

• WisCorps staff and leaders are not to limit a participant from medical care! Leaders MUST receive approval from their WisCorps staff supervisor before getting medical treatment!
  
• These instances include but are not limited to having a fever over 100 degrees, having difficulty breathing, having a rash that covers part of the face or a large part of the body, having broken blisters, experiencing extreme tenderness or itching and having scabs that are yellow or have pus.
  
  

Where To Go?

Urgent Care is usually the best seeking treatment for poison ivy and other field-related rashes. This is usually a one and done medical visit. The participant is usually issued an oral steriod or is issued a shot injection.

• Steroid pills (eg, prednisone)
• Injections (eg, triamcinolone acetonide, budesonide)
  

Help WisCorps! —> A study revealed that visiting an emergency department for poison ivy dermatitis costs three times more than going to an urgent care clinic or doctor’s office.

Wild Parsnip FAQs

Pastinaca sativa

Description:

Wild parsnip is a biennial herb that grows to 2-5 ft. Alternate, compound, branched leaves have serrated edges. First year rosettes have pinnately compound leaves. Adult plants bloom June through August with small, five-petaled, yellow flowers arranged in a flat-topped, broad umbel of 2-6″.

Threat:

Skin contact with wild parsnip’s caustic sap can result in severe blistering that lasts for several weeks. Infestations in agricultural fields can also degrade hay and other crop values.

Management:

CAUTION – This plant has sap that can cause severe skin irritation, blistering and scarring. Be sure to wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when managing this plant. For individual plants, digging or root cutting can be effective. For larger infestations, mowing while in flower and before seed set can be effective, as well as selective herbicide treatments.