River experts in the United Kingdom warn the public regarding the adverse effects of a river weed on the skin of humans. The warning came after several locals suffered severe skin burns when they came into direct contact with the dangerous plant.
Mike Duddy, a representative from the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust, said that the presence of giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) along riverbanks pose a serious threat that needed to be tackled.
The plant, which is also known as cartwheel-flower, hogsbane, or giant cow parsley, is known to produce a highly toxic sap that can cause the skin to become more sensitive to sunlight and lead to severe burns that could last for months. The sensitivity to sunlight could also remain for several years.
"If you don't know what the plant is, it's exceedingly dangerous," Duddy pointed out. "It is now, without a shadow of a doubt, the most dangerous plant in Britain."
"There were originally a few hotspots of plants, but it has now spread to Bury, Bolton, Chinley, Stockport on the River Mersey - different parts of the canal system."
According to the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust, the spread of the giant hogweed could be controlled in the area through the use of herbicide, but the lack of a strategy between different agencies has prevented plans from being carried out.
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK urges people who come into contact with the weed to promptly wash the exposed area of the skin with water and soap and to keep it covered.
Earlier this week, two boys in the township of Bolton in England were hospitalized after touching a giant hogweed they found at the Moses Gate Country Park in Farnworth.
Thirteen-year-old Reid Daley and his friend were playing at the park when they stumbled upon a patch of plants that included the toxic weed. When he woke up the next day, he had rashes on his skin and he was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Daley said that the rashes started to blister when he was exposed to sunlight.
Meanwhile, a 10-year-old girl in Scotland sustained third-degree burns on her skin after she picked up a giant hogweed while fishing with her family.
Lauren Fuller and her parents were enjoying their vacation at Loch Lomond when she came across the weed at a riverbank. She was trying to build a den by the river so she decided to remove the giant hogweed by plucking it from the ground.
Fuller started to develop giant blisters on both of her hands within days. She also suffered burns on her face, which may need skin grafts in order to repair the amount of damage on her skin.
Photo: Gordon Joly | Flickr
