My family have been weeding this week and getting what seems to be 'phytophototoxicity' as a result.
This weed has spread all over our garden this year. Last year, I kept it under control with a hoe, but this year we've been so busy that it has got a hold and everyone except me has had a go at pulling it out. I think it's a type of euphorbia or spurge, but I'm not sure. Never had a problem with it anywhere else we've lived.
At first, we thought it was just an ordinary sunburn, but they had severe itching, stinging, sore and puffy eyes and sore nostrils followed a few days later by peeling skin. So then we thought, no, not sunburn. Must be the weed and an allergic contact dermatitis. Now, we think it is extreme sensitivity brought about by a plant. Phytophototoxicity.
The symptoms are subsiding, but I've been horrified to research this. At its worst, super-sensitivity to light can persist for *years*. And of course, now I am worrying about what long-term damage may have been done to my family's skin. I remember reading once, about how if you had a bad blistering burn just once as a child, you are more or less guaranteed getting a skin cancer later in life.
Well, they weren't out in the sun for very long and we'd never heard of phototoxicity before, so had no way to anticipate and prevent this. But, I am just sick about it. They need to cover up well with sunscreen now for the rest of the 'summer' and we just pray that the effects of this are not too long-lasting or the consequences too severe.
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6 comments:
Dorothy - this sounds terrible. What does it look like? How strange. I've never heard of anything like it.
Did you finish your weeding or is there still more to go??
When do you all start school?
Duckabush Blog
Kathy, it *is* terrible. There is some more to get out and I don't know how to do it safely. Maybe in the rain?
We only finished school the last week of July, so we have a couple more weeks of our break left.
Dorothy,
I've never heard of that either... ugh... praying there are no long term effects.
Dorothy
Is it possible that the reaction is from the weeds? Do ya'll have stinging nettles?
Renee,
That's exactly what I'm saying. The weeds contain a poison called psoralen which causes skin to be hyper-sensitive to light.
It's called phytophototoxicity. We are just now wondering how badly they've been affected.
Yes, we have plenty of nettles! But this isn't nettle rash. It's not a rash at all. It's a blistering sunburn.
The awful thing is there is nothing we can do about it. The damage has been done.
This is really weird, Dorothy. Even for YOU. This is something that would happen to Rachel in NY/NJ/NY/DC. Maybe she planted it in your yard?
If you take an antihistamine does that help? I've read that aspirin does wonders for sunburn (orally or topically).
I would spray that creeping crud with a weed killer for sure. Might as well combat one dangerous chemical with another.
Or you could keep some in a jar & threaten the dh & children with it when they get bad attitudes.
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