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paintballimpact.com / Safety / Poison Sumac
Poison Sumac | Paintball Injuries
Paintball is a very safe sport that include a lower incidence of injuries than swimming, golf, or soccer. But while the sport is very safe, there are some hazards to look out for. Because paintball is a game played outdoors, players must consider all of the hazards that go along with running through the woods and diving into the brush. Some hazards you may encounter on the field include poison ivy and poison sumac. Poison Sumac is also known as Rhus vernix or Toxicodendron vernix. Like poison ivy and poison oak, it is the oil urichol from the plant that causes the irritation, burning, and itching in humans. Major respiratory problems can occur if the smoke from a burned poison sumac plant is inhaled. Poison sumac is a woody shrub that can grow as high as 4 meters.
Usually, paintball players won't come across the poison sumac plant as it grows mostly in swampy areas or soil that is usually very wet. Most paintball fields are located on dry ground, with open speedball or woodsball fields. But players would be wise to recognize and avoid this plant should they come across it. A study from Edward Frankel in 1991 determined that poison ivy is the most poisonous plant species in America. While the relatives of this plant, poison oak and poison ivy have been shown to cause urichol-induced contact dermatitis, poison sumac is known to cause the most painful and extreme cases.
Appearance. Poison sumac leaves have green and reddish leaves. The leaves are about 30-55 centimeters long, with 8-14 leaflets that are about 5-11 centimeters long. The veins from the leaves are red. The berries from other sumac plants are red, while the berries from poison sumac plants are grey or white. Contact with poison sumac plants should be avoided.
Poison sumac, western poison oak, and poison ivy produce is poisonous oil called urashiol that can be released from their fruit, stem, leaves, or roots. The oil can rub off of whatever the part of the body that comes in contact with the plant. A negative exposure to the toxic plant may begin with a little discomfort, but then move on to severe itching, inflammation, and blistering from the skin. In harsh cases, oozing sores could develop. Once the oil has been cleaned or rubbed off the clothed body, the risk of developing poison sumac poisoning is minimized. Humans can not spread the infection from one to another from contaminated sores. It is only from direct exposure to the urishoil oil that can cause irritation or inflammation.
Poison Sumac Poisoning occurs most often in the early summer and spring when the leaves are tender. When the leaves are tender, they are the most vulnerable to bruising or damage, which makes the plant respond by secreting the poisonous oil. The exposure will affect paintball players in one of two ways. It will be caused by direct exposure to the skin. On the oil from the poison sumac may rub off on the clothes, pants, or shoes of the player. When a player moves a certain way or takes off his shoes, the oil may be transferred from the clothes or shoes and into direct contact with the skin.
Treatment for poison sumac includes washing the affected region in cold water, a doctor induced steroid shot, or a cream called Diprolene AF.
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