In agony, walker who stepped on a poisonous giant hogweed: Man cannot expose injured leg to sunlight for 7 years

A man has described how his leg swelled up and erupted in blisters after he went to examine a ‘pretty plant’ that his wife had seen.

Keith Cooper did not realise that they had stumbled across giant hogweed and was hit by the plant’s toxic sap after stepping on one of its leaf stalks.

He had to be taken to hospital where he was told he could not expose his injured right leg to sunlight for seven years.

Mr Cooper, 50, was out for a stroll in Whitley Bay, near Newcastle upon Tyne, with his 49-year-old wife, Maria Graham when she spotted the plant in the undergrowth.

‘We were walking the dog near the coast road when my wife stopped to admire a plant and she asked if we could have one for our garden,’ the father-of-two said.

‘The sap rubbed against me but I didn’t realise as it didn’t hurt. I just thought I had been bitten. It was only when I got home that my right leg flared up and it started blistering.’

Unable to walk without limping, Mr Cooper, a former dispensing optician, went to hospital where his condition at first baffled doctors.

‘The consultant said she he had never seen anything like it,’ he said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2408578/Walker-Keith-Copper-stepped-poisonous-giant-hogweed-Whitley-Bay.html#ixzz2dws3jH7Y

Which brings me on to (and I don't need much excuse to advertise my adoration of the original and great) Genesis:

Dangerous 10-Foot Megaweed Invades New York

Giant hogweed might sound like something out of Harry Potter, but it's straight out of New York. This noxious weed has spread across the state, threatening humans with sap that causes severe burns, blistering, permanent scarring and even blindness.

The outbreak has grown so bad that the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a giant hogweed warning and set up a hotline.

Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus region of Eurasia, and was brought to the United States in the early 1900s. The gargantuan plant blooms bunches of tiny white flowers the size of umbrellas, which made it a showpiece in ornamental gardens, including one in Rochester, N.Y. In the century since it was planted there, it has spread across the state, with 1,004 confirmed sightings so far this blooming season.

http://www.livescience.com/14926-dangerous-giant-hogweed-megaflora-invades-york.html

The Return of the Giant Hogweed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-10685437

Central Asian plant weeds its way into east BelfastA dangerous plant species has been found alive and well in east Belfast.An invasion of the Giant Hogweed was located in the vicinity of the Danny Blanchflower Stadium and Sydenham By-Pass.Environmental health officers from Belfast City Council are working with Roads Service staff to treat the invasive and potentially dangerous plant species, whose sap can cause skin irritation.The treatment will take several days for the chemicals to take effect.Local Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle became aware of the "nuisance" weeds after he was contacted by local residents, who were concerned at the extent of the problem."Giant Hogweed is not an issue I hear about every day."

I have learnt that it is a problem that we do need to deal with," he said."The Roads Service and the City council response has been prompt and effective."They're getting on top of things and the public don't need to be unduly concerned."Orla Maguire is a Biodiversity officer at Belfast City Council and is involved in the operation to remove the Giant Hogweed."It is not so much that it's difficult to get rid off, the problem is, it is very successful," she said."Each plant can produce 20-50,000 seeds, so if it gets to a stage where it is allowed to seed and allowed to happen over a number of years, you are going to get a build up of seeds in the soil, a seed bank."These can be viable for up to seven years, other people say up to 15, the problem is when you have the large seed banks."It is the world's largest weed and originates in Central Asia.It can reach up to 3.65m (12ft) in height and has leaves 91cm (36in) long.They spread only by seed, but each individual can bear up to 80,000 seeds, making them very successful propagators.Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to plant Giant Hogweed or to cause it to grow.Andrew Hawlstead from the Royal Horticultural Society explained how the plant from Asia ended up on these shores."

Originally it was introduced as a garden plant and then people realised what a thug it is in the garden and how it spreads rapidly by seed."It produces these giant plants which shade out native vegetation plus you have the added problem of the irritant sap, so these days it is illegal to allow it to be planted."It is a weed which needs eradicated."He also warned people against touching the plant."The problem with this plant is the sap, if you get the sap on your skin and it is unexposed to bright sunlight, it makes the skin come up in very painful blisters and can cause quite prolonged discolouration of the skin."

Spray teams target giant hogweed

A PLANT which causes blisters if it touches your skin is threatening to upset the natural balance of a Welsh river, environment chiefs warned yesterday.


Environment Agency Wales and five partner organisations shave resumed their annual spray attack on giant hogweed at the Lower River Usk from Crickhowell in Powys, to Newport, Gwent, in a bid to kill off the invasive ornamental plant before it takes over.

It can cause problems for local flood defences and significantly affects the area’s ecology because of its ability to spread quickly and “shade out” native plants.

Five spray teams from Environment Agency Wales, Keep Wales Tidy, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, National Trust, Wye and Usk Foundation and Monmouthshire County Council are working together.



May 28 2010 by Sally Williams, Western Mail