Girl Receives Third Degree Burns From Toxic Giant Hogweed Plant

Those who adore the outdoors know the big three to avoid: poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

But perhaps you’ve never heard of the giant hogweed. I hadn’t heard of it, but now I’m frightened of the consequences that come from messing around with the ghastly plant.

Lauren Fuller discovered the hard way what happens when you get too close to the plant. She was on a fishing trip with her dad when she picked a piece of a Giant Hogweed plant to add to a den she was building. By the next day, Lauren had bright red burns on her hands and cheeks, but when her parents took her to the hospital.

However, doctors told Mom and Dad she was just suffering from bad sunburn. Unsatisfied with the diagnosis, Russell and Charlotte Fuller turned to Google to research their daughter’s symptoms – and quickly realized she was a victim of Giant Hogweed.

Giant hogweed is a very large plant. It can grow to be anywhere from 6 feet to 18 feet in size. And according to the trusty Wikipedia, the sap of giant hogweed causes is toxic to humans, It results in blisters, long-lasting scars, and if it comes in contact with eyes, blindness.

However, because the sap only reacts to ultraviolet light, the kind of light we get from sitting in direct sunlight, it’s possible to go a few days without a reaction. Then, when a substantial amount of light is absorbed, it reacts to the sap and creates this rash.

Take a look at the little girl explaining what happened below and don’t forget to please SHARE with an outdoorsy person in your own life. Make sure they know the dangers so spread this warning far and wide.

[Featured Image: SWNS TV via Youtube]

Girl Receives Third Degree Burns From Toxic Giant Hogweed Plant is an article from: LifeDaily