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All parts of the ragwort plant are laced with a group of chemicals called Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs). These chemical are not poisonous, so they fool the bodies defences into letting them be absorbed. Once in the blood stream they are carried to the liver where natural metabolic processes convert them into lethal toxins which attack the liver and slowly kill it.
If you are ever in any doubt as to the danger posed by ragwort's alkaloids, get hold of a copy of ‘Environmental Health Criteria 80’ published by the WHO in 1988 ISBN 9241542802 or go to EHC 80 to study for yourself the facts about this highly dangerous group of chemicals.
A tiny bit of PA will not kill you. If it gets to your liver before being excreted, then it will be transformed and it will destroy one of your livers hepatocite cells. You have a lot of these cells, so you might argue that loosing one will not matter. But if you get exposed to more PAs the damage builds and builds. Eventually, when enough of your liver has been destroyed, you are likely to die. So which one mattered, the first one or the last one?
Always prevent exposure to this dangerous chemical. Don’t eat it, breath it in, or get it on your skin. If you stop exposure then it can’t harm you.
Crossing the road is dangerous. However, we all consider it OK to do this because we know what the dangers are and how to make sure that we stay clear of them. The same is true for PAs. You know where they come from, you know how they can get into your body, (and what they will do if they get in), so to stay safe you simply have to stay away from ragwort, and if you do go near it, make sure to keep it off your skin, out of your mouth and don’t make it into an aerosol that you could breath in (e.g. mowing makes lots of aerosols).
For these projects, first discuss with your tutor what parts of each project could expose you or others to PAs, and agree a safe way to do the project that keeps everyone safe. Remember, when planning safety always think of others around you, or others who will come along after you have finished your part. Don’t leave anything that could trap them into exposure to PAs
- For example, if you used gloves to protect you when handling ragwort, remember that traces of PAs will be on the outside of the gloves. Either dispose of the gloves or wash the PAs off before leaving the gloves for other uses.
- Also, once you have got traces of PAs on the outsides of the gloves, think carefully about not spreading them to other surfaces or to other people.
Bearing in mind that all parts of the ragwort plant contain PAs discuss with your tutor how the following are dangerous and how they should be made safe.
- Pulling, picking or digging ragwort.
- Planting ragwort.
- Growing ragwort seeds.
- The water used to wash the seeds in the germination project.
- Cutting the ragwort root experiment.
- Cinnabar eggs, caterpillars and moths.
- Caterpillar poo.
- Dead ragwort.
- Smoke from burning ragwort bonfire.
- Mowing ragwort.
- Mower after it has been used to mow ragwort.
- How to take off gloves that are contaminated.
One final word of caution - If you are not sure that it is safe - don’t do it!!
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