Oleander - How Poisonous?
"Big Wave" wrote in message ...
Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back yard. One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the plant? I keep reading that they are poisonous.

We have a 9 month old son and a dog. My concern is that they will accidentally touch or eat some of the plant and get sick.

Thanks!


It's not terrifically poisonous. Casual contact is harmless. Our local government in their wisdom has used them as street plants at various times and there are no cases reported of poisoning nor street marches demanding their removal. This doesn't mean that I would eat any of it.

I have heard that they taste bad (never tried it myself) so the dog will not touch it. The child, well in my experience little children at the "everything goes in the mouth" stage need to be watched to prevent them from ingesting a very wide variety of harmful things in the environment; berrys, beads and peas that can be inhaled are probably more danger. One more added to the list will not make any difference as you need to be vigilant in any case.

David

In article ,
says...
Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back yard.
One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the
flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the plant?
I keep reading that they are poisonous.

We have a 9 month old son and a dog. My concern is that they will
accidentally touch or eat some of the plant and get sick.

A toxicologist in a class said 2 leaves could kill a
130 lb animal. And he had given an example of a group
burning collected cuttings in a bonfire/ weenie roast
scenario where four of five (maybe five of six) died
from the smoke inhalation. I have never heard of
accidental poisoning from curious children and there are
many other hazards around the home they need to be
protected from rating higher than the plant toxins.

--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

" Ingestion of 0.005% of bodyweight of
green oleander can be lethal to horses.22 Azaleas are reportedly
toxic to stock that ingest 0.2% to 0.6% of bodyweight of plant
material."

http://www.ava.com.au/content/avj/0207/0207.pdf

"There are in the order of 45 species of plants that contain
cardiac glycosides and are potentially poisonous to animals1,3
and humans.13,14,18 Many of the cardiac glycoside containing
plants, including oleander, yellow oleander, azaleas, and
Japanese pieris are evergreen shrubs or small trees that are
commonly used as ornamental garden plants.3,16 Most cardiac
glycoside poisonings occur when these plants are grown in or
around animal enclosures,2,11,16,19 when they are accidentally
incorporated in feedstuffs,1,20 or when clippings are fed to
animals.1,3-5,16 Only two species, Nerium oleander (oleander)
and Cryptostegia grandiflora (rubber vine) have been reported to
cause poisoning of horses.2-5 In this horse, ingestion of oleander
clippings inadvertently deposited into the horse’s yard was the
suspected cause.
Cardiac glycosides are found in most parts of the plants,"

On 29 Apr 2003 00:02:53 GMT, pamfree (Zemedelec)
wrote:

Poisonous enough to kill a horse. One of the first things I was told when out
riding in partially suburban areas was not to let my hirse chew on oleander.

And read the book, "White Oleander." Much better than the movie, but aren't
they all?
zemedelec



"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous chemicals.
The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment."

Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

Could be, but it sure sounds like urban legend.

On 29 Apr 2003 00:15:52 GMT, (Thalocean2) wrote:

|Poisonous enough to kill several people in Arizona about five years ago. They
|were from outta state and used them to roast hotdogs on.
|
|Laura B.
|
|Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back yard.
|One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the
|flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the plant?
|I keep reading that they are poisonous.
|

Digital Libraries
Texas A&M University


http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~sangita/wholeast.htm

"All parts of this plant are extremely toxic--one leaf can be enough
to kill an adult, and even water in which the flowers have been placed
is toxic. The toxic principles are cardioactive glycosides similar to
digitalis (Lampe 1985). The smoke from burning wood is also
potentially toxic, and there are reports (possibly anecdotal) of
children being poisoned from using the branches as hotdog roasting
sticks."



http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/bail...rsF2000/Colin/
Oleander

By Colin Nordstrom



Chem 377 Drugs and Poisons

Dr. Bailey

Fall 2000

"This plant is extremely poisonous, as death has even occurred when a
branch was used to roast a hot dog over a fire. Although this plant
is highly toxic, the Oleander plant holds promise in the medical
field. The compound Oleandrin has antitumor, bradycardic, cardiotonic,
and diuretic properties."

The only citing I can find at the CDC
http://search.cdc.gov/search97cgi/s9...=newsearch.hts


Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for
Environmental Health, CDC.
Editorial Note: The findings in this report indicate that the cases of
cardiotoxicity in
New York City resulted from ingestion of a purported aphrodisiac that
contained bufadienolides
and bufotenine and was intended for topical use. Cardioactive
steroids,
including bufadienolides, have a narrow therapeutic index ( 2 ), and
unintentional
therapeutic intoxication is well documented. These steroids can
adversely effect the
myocardium ( 3 ), and the most life-threatening manifestations of
toxicity include arrhythmias,
ventricular ectopy, sinus bradycardia, atrial arrhythmias, and
hyperkalemia
( 2 ). Cardiac steriods are found in other nontraditional therapies
such as Chan Su and
teas made from oleander ( Nerium oleander) and foxglove ( Digitalis
purpureau).








On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:34:51 GMT, x wrote:

Could be, but it sure sounds like urban legend.



"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous chemicals.
The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment."

Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

I didn't say that it wasn't toxic. It's toxicity is well established.
What I said was that the tale of "several people" out-of-staters, no
less, dying from roasting hot dogs, has the sound of urban legend.

The comment on it being anecdotal in your references seems to lend
support. The lack of any support from CDC, while not evidence per se,
also lends support.

Then again, maybe it's true.

gus

fOn Mon, 28 Apr 2003 18:32:57 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

|
|Digital Libraries
|Texas A&M University
|
|
|http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~sangita/wholeast.htm
|
|"All parts of this plant are extremely toxic--one leaf can be enough
|to kill an adult, and even water in which the flowers have been placed
|is toxic. The toxic principles are cardioactive glycosides similar to
|digitalis (Lampe 1985). The smoke from burning wood is also
|potentially toxic, and there are reports (possibly anecdotal) of
|children being poisoned from using the branches as hotdog roasting
|sticks."
|
|
|
|http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/bail...rsF2000/Colin/
|Oleander
|
|By Colin Nordstrom
|

|
|Chem 377 Drugs and Poisons
|
|Dr. Bailey
|
|Fall 2000
|
|"This plant is extremely poisonous, as death has even occurred when a
|branch was used to roast a hot dog over a fire. Although this plant
|is highly toxic, the Oleander plant holds promise in the medical
|field. The compound Oleandrin has antitumor, bradycardic, cardiotonic,
|and diuretic properties."
|
|The only citing I can find at the CDC
|http://search.cdc.gov/search97cgi/s9...=newsearch.hts
|
|
|Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for
|Environmental Health, CDC.
|Editorial Note: The findings in this report indicate that the cases of
|cardiotoxicity in
|New York City resulted from ingestion of a purported aphrodisiac that
|contained bufadienolides
|and bufotenine and was intended for topical use. Cardioactive
|steroids,
|including bufadienolides, have a narrow therapeutic index ( 2 ), and
|unintentional
|therapeutic intoxication is well documented. These steroids can
|adversely effect the
|myocardium ( 3 ), and the most life-threatening manifestations of
|toxicity include arrhythmias,
|ventricular ectopy, sinus bradycardia, atrial arrhythmias, and
|hyperkalemia
|( 2 ). Cardiac steriods are found in other nontraditional therapies
|such as Chan Su and
|teas made from oleander ( Nerium oleander) and foxglove ( Digitalis
|purpureau).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:34:51 GMT, x wrote:
|
|Could be, but it sure sounds like urban legend.
|
|
|
|"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
|Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
|but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous chemicals.
|The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment."
|
|Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

Thanks for all the info everyone. I decided to move it to the back perimeter
of our lawn - I initially had it next to the house.


On 4/28/03 11:56 PM, in article OJmra.680478$S_4.730187@rwcrnsc53, "Philip"
wrote:

As almost everyone has said, you should be Ok, but they are very toxic. I
can tell you from personal family history that the sap is really NOT a good
thing to get on you. My grandfather was trimming back my aunt's oleanders
during the summer in Yuma. He reached up and wiped his head with his hand.
The resulting blisters that later appeared (about 1 hour later) were bad
enough that they sent him to the hospital. He had major chemical burns that
took about 2 months to get over.

Because of that I've always hated the things. My grandfather was my hero,
after all, even more so since my dad died when I was 3. I encourage people
to eradicate them, just because.

Philip
"Obsessed? Me???"
"Big Wave" wrote in message
...
Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back
yard.
One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the
flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the
plant?
I keep reading that they are poisonous.

We have a 9 month old son and a dog. My concern is that they will
accidentally touch or eat some of the plant and get sick.

Thanks!

(Thalocean2) wrote:

Poisonous enough to kill several people in Arizona about five years ago. They
were from outta state and used them to roast hotdogs on.

URBAN LEGEND.

That would have made front page news and tape at 5,6,10 AND 11 if
it had happened. I live in AZ and don't recall any mention of
any such incident. I can't find any trace of this event in AZ
poison control archives, the web, or the local newspaper.

It would also be continually rehashed on every garden show ... no
mention of it.





Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

Lar wrote:


130 lb animal. And he had given an example of a group
burning collected cuttings in a bonfire/ weenie roast
scenario where four of five (maybe five of six) died
from the smoke inhalation.

I keep hearing about this fatal hot dog roast, BUT NO ONE HAS
EVER COME UP WITH THE DEATH CERTIFICATES or even a goodlocaiton.



Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

Oleander - How Poisonous?
"Big Wave" wrote in message
...
Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back yard.
One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the
flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the plant?
I keep reading that they are poisonous.

We have a 9 month old son and a dog. My concern is that they will
accidentally touch or eat some of the plant and get sick.

Thanks!



Watch kids carefully, tell them no they can't touch it and why, they will
learn. My son is almost 3 and he knows to leave them alone. I have a dog
and a cat they love to lay under it, but I don't believe they eat it. A
leaf strached me in the eye one time and it hurt like hell but nothing
happened (I washed my eye out with water for about 5 minutes).
Good Luck!
~b

Many years ago, when I was living in Florida, I recall a big news story
about boy scouts (I think around Tampa) getting sick, and at least one
dying, from burning Oleander, maybe for hot dogs. This was probably back in
the early 1960s. Oleander is very common in that part of Florida (Central)
and I only recall stories of people getting sick when it is burned.
--
Compostman
Washington, DC
Zone 7
wrote in message
...
I didn't say that it wasn't toxic. It's toxicity is well established.
What I said was that the tale of "several people" out-of-staters, no
less, dying from roasting hot dogs, has the sound of urban legend.

The comment on it being anecdotal in your references seems to lend
support. The lack of any support from CDC, while not evidence per se,
also lends support.

Then again, maybe it's true.

gus

fOn Mon, 28 Apr 2003 18:32:57 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

|
|Digital Libraries
|Texas A&M University
|
|
|http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~sangita/wholeast.htm
|
|"All parts of this plant are extremely toxic--one leaf can be enough
|to kill an adult, and even water in which the flowers have been placed
|is toxic. The toxic principles are cardioactive glycosides similar to
|digitalis (Lampe 1985). The smoke from burning wood is also
|potentially toxic, and there are reports (possibly anecdotal) of
|children being poisoned from using the branches as hotdog roasting
|sticks."
|
|
|
|http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/bail...rsF2000/Colin/
|Oleander
|
|By Colin Nordstrom
|

|
|Chem 377 Drugs and Poisons
|
|Dr. Bailey
|
|Fall 2000
|
|"This plant is extremely poisonous, as death has even occurred when a
|branch was used to roast a hot dog over a fire. Although this plant
|is highly toxic, the Oleander plant holds promise in the medical
|field. The compound Oleandrin has antitumor, bradycardic, cardiotonic,
|and diuretic properties."
|
|The only citing I can find at the CDC

|http://search.cdc.gov/search97cgi/s9...r+&SortField=s
core&Action=FilterSearch&Collection=cdcall1&Result Template=nsearchresult.hts
&filter=newsearch.hts
|
|
|Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for
|Environmental Health, CDC.
|Editorial Note: The findings in this report indicate that the cases of
|cardiotoxicity in
|New York City resulted from ingestion of a purported aphrodisiac that
|contained bufadienolides
|and bufotenine and was intended for topical use. Cardioactive
|steroids,
|including bufadienolides, have a narrow therapeutic index ( 2 ), and
|unintentional
|therapeutic intoxication is well documented. These steroids can
|adversely effect the
|myocardium ( 3 ), and the most life-threatening manifestations of
|toxicity include arrhythmias,
|ventricular ectopy, sinus bradycardia, atrial arrhythmias, and
|hyperkalemia
|( 2 ). Cardiac steriods are found in other nontraditional therapies
|such as Chan Su and
|teas made from oleander ( Nerium oleander) and foxglove ( Digitalis
|purpureau).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:34:51 GMT, x wrote:
|
|Could be, but it sure sounds like urban legend.
|
|
|
|"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
|Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
|but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of
poisonous chemicals.
|The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy
crops in a healthy environment."
|
|Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

Ok well, it's a non-issue now because I found out Oleander will not thrive
in the area I live in - Upstate South Carolina. The cold Winter will
probably kill it. It's such a beautiful plant - I was wondering why I never
see them around here.

But thanks for all the information - very interesting.


On 4/30/03 7:15 AM, in article
, "Compostman"
wrote:

Many years ago, when I was living in Florida, I recall a big news story
about boy scouts (I think around Tampa) getting sick, and at least one
dying, from burning Oleander, maybe for hot dogs. This was probably back in
the early 1960s. Oleander is very common in that part of Florida (Central)
and I only recall stories of people getting sick when it is burned.
--
Compostman
Washington, DC
Zone 7
wrote in message
...
I didn't say that it wasn't toxic. It's toxicity is well established.
What I said was that the tale of "several people" out-of-staters, no
less, dying from roasting hot dogs, has the sound of urban legend.

The comment on it being anecdotal in your references seems to lend
support. The lack of any support from CDC, while not evidence per se,
also lends support.

Then again, maybe it's true.

gus

fOn Mon, 28 Apr 2003 18:32:57 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

|
|Digital Libraries
|Texas A&M University
|
|
|http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~sangita/wholeast.htm
|
|"All parts of this plant are extremely toxic--one leaf can be enough
|to kill an adult, and even water in which the flowers have been placed
|is toxic. The toxic principles are cardioactive glycosides similar to
|digitalis (Lampe 1985). The smoke from burning wood is also
|potentially toxic, and there are reports (possibly anecdotal) of
|children being poisoned from using the branches as hotdog roasting
|sticks."
|
|
|
|http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/bail...rsF2000/Colin/
|Oleander
|
|By Colin Nordstrom
|

|
|Chem 377 Drugs and Poisons
|
|Dr. Bailey
|
|Fall 2000
|
|"This plant is extremely poisonous, as death has even occurred when a
|branch was used to roast a hot dog over a fire. Although this plant
|is highly toxic, the Oleander plant holds promise in the medical
|field. The compound Oleandrin has antitumor, bradycardic, cardiotonic,
|and diuretic properties."
|
|The only citing I can find at the CDC

|http://search.cdc.gov/search97cgi/s9...r+&SortField=s
core&Action=FilterSearch&Collection=cdcall1&Result Template=nsearchresult.hts
&filter=newsearch.hts
|
|
|Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for
|Environmental Health, CDC.
|Editorial Note: The findings in this report indicate that the cases of
|cardiotoxicity in
|New York City resulted from ingestion of a purported aphrodisiac that
|contained bufadienolides
|and bufotenine and was intended for topical use. Cardioactive
|steroids,
|including bufadienolides, have a narrow therapeutic index ( 2 ), and
|unintentional
|therapeutic intoxication is well documented. These steroids can
|adversely effect the
|myocardium ( 3 ), and the most life-threatening manifestations of
|toxicity include arrhythmias,
|ventricular ectopy, sinus bradycardia, atrial arrhythmias, and
|hyperkalemia
|( 2 ). Cardiac steriods are found in other nontraditional therapies
|such as Chan Su and
|teas made from oleander ( Nerium oleander) and foxglove ( Digitalis
|purpureau).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:34:51 GMT, x wrote:
|
|Could be, but it sure sounds like urban legend.
|
|
|
|"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
|Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
|but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of
poisonous chemicals.
|The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy
crops in a healthy environment."
|
|Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

On Thu, 1 May 2003 23:46:43 -0500, "B & J"
wrote:

I kept it as a pot plant


WOW pretty dangerous stuff to smoke.....:)



"Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance.
Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present,
but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous chemicals.
The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment."

Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978

"Tom Jaszewski" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 1 May 2003 23:46:43 -0500, "B & J"
wrote:

I kept it as a pot plant


WOW pretty dangerous stuff to smoke.....:)


So put that in your pipe! :0

John

Oleander - How Poisonous?yes - very poisonous - please be very careful - I'd nt lant it with a small son - especially if he is tedning to put leaves in his mouth


"Big Wave" wrote in message ...
Just purchased and planted a variety of trees and shrubs for our back yard. One is an Oleander plant. I bought it because it will grow big and the flowers are awesome. Should I be concerned about the toxicity of the plant? I keep reading that they are poisonous.

We have a 9 month old son and a dog. My concern is that they will accidentally touch or eat some of the plant and get sick.

Thanks!