I'm waiting to see how long it will be before some smart arse mentions
Risk Assessments - I would do it myself but you'd probably take me
seriously.
Gilbert Addison
Tree and Countryside Officer
Breckland Council
Tel: 01362 656243
Fax: 01362 656297
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Thurman [mailto:thurmanconsult@xxxxxxxxxxx.com]
Sent: 23 December 2006 09:54
To: UK Tree Care
Subject: RE: Rhus verniciflua (varnish tree) warning
Andrew
That was very bad luck as this tree is quite rare in the UK. In America
they group some species of Rhus into the genus Toxicodendron. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron
It looks like they are a serious problem over there:
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/faq.html
I would add that sap of Euphorbiaceae can also be dangerous. Fortunately
there are no trees of this genus hardy in the UK - but E. mellifera can
become a large shrub.
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: TreeSpecialists@xxxx.com [mailto:TreeSpecialists@xxxx.com]
Sent: 22 December 2006 20:07
To: UK Tree Care
Subject: Rhus verniciflua (varnish tree) warning
I felled an unfamiliar tree last week, after some debate I had guessed
it was a Rhus, but some variety, not typhina. No suckers, and looked
like it would grow too tall to be typhina.
Not being familiar with the varnish tree I only warned the lads that the
sap was "horrible gungey stuff" but J got some on his forearm when
carrying cordwood to the truck and ended up in casualty two days later
with severe blistering chemical burns. The arm is healing slowly now.
I would never have believed tree sap could cause such a bad burn if I
had not seen it with my own eyes. Even the nurses and doctors had never
seen anything like it before, and called all their colleagues over to
see for themselves.
So watch out: Rhus verniciflua, the varnish tree, is nasty stuff,
similar to giant hogweed by all accounts.
Andrew McManus
P.S. are there any other nasties out there ?
P.P.S. I missed this warning in 2002 but picked it out of the archives
below.
Re: Other names?
"Edmund Hopkins" <edmund.hopkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.gov.uk>
Wed, 31 Jul 2002 10:04:52 +0100
Baker, Rupert <Rupert.Baker@xxxxxxxx.gov.uk> wrote:
Varnish tree is Rhus typhinus & is seriuosly dodgy - contact with wood
sawdust sap etc causes serious blistering & sensitisation
Morning Rupert, I thought that was Rhus verniciflua, rather than the
ubiquitous R typhina, causing acute dermatitis and hospitalisation,
though
typhina is also to be treated with caution. Was'nt there a piece in the
AA
journal some years ago?
Edmund Hopkins
Arboricultural Officer
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