Is Your Firewood Contaminated with Poison Ivy?

So you’ve just cut down some firewood from the back yard or gathering some sticks for the stove. Did you check to see if there were any harmful plants nearby like Poison Ivy? It’s not just touching the plant when cutting the wood that can cause you harm. Burning wood exposed to Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac release an oil, urushiol, that when burned will release into the air. Because it's an oil, it sticks to just about everything it touches.
 When the oil gets on the skin an allergic reaction, referred to as contact dermatitis, occurs in most exposed people as an itchy red rash with bumps or blisters. When exposed to 50 micrograms of urushiol, an amount that is less than one grain of table salt, 80 to 90 percent of adults will develop a rash. The rash, depending upon where it occurs and how broadly it is spread, may significantly impede or prevent a person from working. Although over-the-counter topical medications may relieve symptoms for most people, immediate medical attention may be required for severe reactions, particularly when exposed to the smoke from burning these poisonous plants. Burning these poisonous plants can be very dangerous because the allergens can be inhaled, causing lung irritation.

IndoorDoctor recommends that wood exposed to urushiol should not be burned.  Even in winter you may contract poison ivy from touching wood you use to burn in the fireplace. The wood may be long dead but the urushiol remains active for up to several years. What's more, burning the wood may actually carry the allergen to your skin or you may even inhale it with the smoke and ash. It has been known to cause respiratory distress. If this happens, see a physician immediately. The smoke and gaseous by-products of burning urushiol may end up on your skin and in your lungs if you burn it in an inadequately ventilated stove or fireplace, resulting in severe medical distress.  The oil from poison ivy is extremely stable and will stay potent - essentially forever.  For example, you can get a rash from clothing or tools that have the oil from last summer, or even from many years back. Removal of the bark from the wood can help but that process has its own set of problems.
 You can reduce your risk of exposure to firewood that has been covered with poison ivy, poison oak or sumac by careful examination of the source area for the wood for suspicious vines or by purchasing wood fuels from a knowledgeable professional.