Thread: Poison Oak
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Old 07-25-2010, 09:52 AM   #21
Mike P
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: 61° 30′ 0″ N, 23° 46′ 0″ E
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I'm one of the fortunate ones who aren't allergic to urushiol. I've breathed in the smoke from burning poison ivy--admittedly unwittingly--without any ill effects.

A couple of weeks ago, while laying the wire for a Dogtra invisible fence, I found myself standing in a sea of poison ivy--wearing sandals. Never got the rash. I guess I'm still good.

My mother was never allergic to it either--until she turned 70 and found out that immunity can go away. So---I don't seek the stuff out to test my immunity

I haven't seen a lot of poison oak around here--plenty of harmless scrub oak, though. Lots of people also mistake harmless wild raspberry for poison ivy. Wild raspberry has dull, serrated leaves that grow in clusters of three. Poison ivy has smooth, shiny, rubbery-looking leaves that grow in clusters of three, and usually sports red stalks.

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