Teen covered with severe burns after entanglement with giant hogweed

A teenager from Virginia could take up to two years to fully recover from the severe burns that he suffered while meeting with a dangerous invasive plant this week

Alex Childress, 17, was doing landscaping near Fredericksburg. Big grbad, reports Richmond Times-Dispatch. In doing so, the plant grazed his face and his arm. Unbeknownst to Alex, the plant was giant hogweed, a weed sometimes called the "hell plant".

My report yesterday on the case of Alex: https://t.co/G3zJNtQNw

– Tim Dodson (@Tim_Dodson) July 13, 2018

Giant sap prevents the skin from properly protecting itself from the sun's rays, which causes a burn of the skin within 15 minutes of contact. Getting sap in your eyes can even lead to permanent blindness.

When Childress noticed for the first time that his skin was hurting him, he thought that he had just caught a sunburn, although his parents suspected him of being otherwise and l & # 39; They took her to the hospital

"The top layer of the skin She left and appeared to be a really bad burn that had already been shaken," said her father, Justin Childress, to the Times- Dispatch

It turned out that the teenager had developed second- and third-degree burns all over the face and arms of the giant hogweed sap. He told people that when he was in the shower after landscaping, large pieces of skin would fall off his face.

The severity of the burns meant that Childress had to stay in the ICU for two days. Although it is about to recover, it could be a frustrating process.

"I can not go out in the sun for two to six months," he told People. "My face could be sensitive to light for a year to two years."

Now he fears he will be disqualified for a ROTC Army scholarship that he received at Virginia Tech, where he plans to go to school in the fall. 19659002] Native to the mountainous Caucasus region of Asia, giant hogweed spread to Europe in the late 19th century and eventually to the United States through the medium of people who thought that It was a pretty garden plant. Although its white flowers sometimes bring it to be confused with the harmless cowboy or lace of Queen Anne – also known as the wild carrot – there are major differences, including the size of Hogweed, which can reach 6 to 20 feet.

The Canadian Press reported last summer that giant hogweed is cutting a broadband in British Columbia. and Ontario, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada is urging people across the country to document the sightings of the imposing plant.

Dan Kraus, a conservation biologist, said that invasive Asian species probably arrived in Canada in the 1940s and can now be found in southern Ontario and southern British Columbia [19659010] Kraus said that there was also a concern about the loss of native biodiversity, because the giant hogweed is an aggressive plant that can compete with native plants and spread – especially when it grows near the courts of water and that its seeds are transported downstream. A plant can produce thousands of seeds and they can stay in the soil for years before germinating.

Conservation asks people to document invasive plant observations through applications like iNaturalist, which helps scientists understand how plants spread. identifies areas where they need to be eradicated, he said. Canadians sighting giant Giant Hogweed should also contact local park officials.

If you come into contact with giant hogweed, the Government of Quebec website recommends immediately removing the sap from the skin with a paper towel. water, remove and wash clothes and consult a doctor.

With records from the Canadian Press.

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