Wishing you wellness, and thanking you for the reminder that nature and gardening are not all warm and fuzzy, including that which we call "organic." Let us keep mindful of the risks in what we do, and keep each other informed.
I'm personally not too fond of wood chips, and this is one of the reasons. Tho never sick, I've gotten irritated lungs/sinuses from some wood chip piles, and in the end, as path cover, they always need replacing. My two seeds on the matter.... Paco John Verin City Wide Coordinator - Philadelphia Green The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 100 North 20th Street, 5th floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 Phone: 215-988-8885; Fax 215-988-8810 http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Anne M Harvey > Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 7:13 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [cg] Possible Health Concern > > > I don't want to be an alarmist, but I have been treated for a lung > infection for the last year and think it may have come from > working in my > community garden. I am sending this as a cautionary tale... > > The infection was a mycobacterial infection, though mine was a rare > strain of mycobacterium -- M. interjectum. I was treated > with a number > of antibiotics (rifabutin, biaxin, cipro, levaquin), some of > which have > unpleasant side effects. The whole ordeal started last > spring when I was > digging in a pile of wood chips that the garden uses to cover > pathways. > The pile had been sitting for a few days and gotten rained > on. There was > obvious mold and fungus growing in some parts of the pile and when I > stuck my shovel in a large dusty cloud rose up and I breathed > in some of > it. About a month later I coughed up blood which sent me to > the doctor's > office. Two CAT scans and two bronchoscopies later I had a > diagnosis and > took antibiotics for the next 6 months. It appears to be gone now, > though something still appears on the CAT scan -- probably scarring. > > Mycobacteria can grow on decaying plant matter and can be > found in soil. > Some people are more susceptible than others to these infections -- > especially immune compromised people. Mycobacterial > infections are not > all that uncommon, but are difficult to treat. 1-2 years of taking an > antibiotic cocktail is pretty standard treatment. > > I just thought I should share this experience so people can be careful > and avoid a potentially unpleasant ailment. > > ______________________________________________________ > The American Community Gardening Association listserve is > only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn > more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
