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Poison ivy.

Started by Camp Run Farm, June 18, 2005, 08:31:12 AM

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Camp Run Farm

Does anyone have a way of preventing getting poison ivy from sawing logs that had the plant growing on them?  I have been scratching like a dog with fleas for the last couple of months.  I have found that the best treatment after getting it is white vinegar, that initial sting really feels great.

Ed

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Sawyerfortyish

I don't get to many but when I do I try to pull it off the log with the fork on the skidsteer. Then kind of hide it or burry it under other logs in the yard for a while say 6 or 8 months.

populus

The combination of Ivy Block and Tecnu works without a hitch. Put Ivy Block on before you go out in the woods. Reapply to your hands as needed if you are doing a lot of hand work (wearing gloves will keep the Ivy Block from wearing off). Then, if you know you've been exposed, Tecnu afterwards. My forestry students, some of whom were very allergic, did this and it worked evfery time. A couple of students did an experiment - applying Ivy Block to one arm and leg, not to the other. After a field trip, they washed with soap and water but did not use Tecnu. Both got PI rash on the unprotected side, not on the protected side. 

A couple of interesting things:

1. Ivy Block was discovered by California fire fighters. They found that when they had underarm deodorant on, they did not get poison oak rash in their armpits (these folks often work in poison oak over their heads). It turns out that the binding agent used to make stick deodorant ties up urushiol, the oily chemical that creates a rash. Ivy Block is just the binding agent from deodorant.

2. You can become sensitive any time in your life. I know foresters who swear they were not sensitive and suddenly become so after years of exposure. So for those of us who don't get it, it is still wise to avoid exposure.

3. Jeff's right (other thread) about the danger of eating poison ivy. A guy here in Kentucky assured everyone that he was not allergic and set out to prove it by eating some. He died.

4. Poison ivy is closely related to cashew (same family, Anacardiaceae). The vast majority of cashew pickers are highly allergic to the plant. (Roasting eliminates the allergen, so eating them is not a problem).

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