GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Poinsettias are non-toxic, despite the persistent myth!

28-11-2004, 01:45 AM

The reason it is assinine to be safer than sorry when dealing with a
non-toxic substance (such as, say, poinsettias) on the off-chance that
someone MIGHT have an unpredictable allergic reaction -- is because
that's true of EVERYthing. The list I gave before, that includes
carrots & celery, are far more likely to cause contact dermititis than
is poinsettia. One could never go out doors or even into the kitchen
if this level of safe-not-sorry was applied.

Anyone with an allergy to poinsettias would also have an allergy to
pencil erasers. They would not have gotten this far in life not
knowing they were allergic to latex. And their allergy would have
nothing whatsoever to do with normal healthy reactions (rather
non-reactions) to latex.

RATIONAL safe-not-sorry is to not take chances until the facts are
known. If you don't know for sure that it's a common blueberry, don't
eat it; if you do know it's a common blueberry, & you still won't eat
it because you'd rather be safe than sorry, then that judgement would
define that idiot as a loon.

When the facts are known & someone still decides it's too dangerous,
then that person is a nutcake & a loon. Period.

-paghat the ratgirl

What it comes down to is you are claiming poinsettias are non-toxic even
though you admit some may have an allergic reaction, and that those with
allergic reactions will have at some prior time have experienced the
reaction and instinctively know latex based items should be avoided.

Obviously if your allergy is extreme then yes you would probably be dead
already. But if by fate or happy circumstance you've never been exposed
to a blueberry and yet were allergic, sensing something amiss and still
persisted in eating it, then you may not be a loon but you may end up in
the hospital with your stomach pumped or in the ground pushing up
daisies.

While I am not advocating wholesale avoidance of anything remotely
dangerous, I am saying that people should be aware of possiblilities and
not dismiss everything with a blanket statement.

Now while edible items have a different standard than non-edible ones,
you have said that poinsettias are non-toxic yet you would not rub one
all over your naked body. Now, being non-toxic it should be perfectly
safe, why not? Would you rather be safe, and loony, than sorry?

People have their quirks and sometimes there may be an underlying reason,
and even if there is not, there's no reason for condescension.