Here's the situation. I belong to a club that gets together 7 times a year to eat BBQ, drink beer and tell dirty jokes. The BBQ is cooked onsite by members. Firewood (pecan) is usually obtained from members cutting down trees or from landscapers looking for a place to offload their trailer.
A few years ago a load was brought in that had poison ivy growing up the trunk while the tree was alive but was removed prior to the tree being cut down. It's now at the club site waiting to be split. It would already have been split and used for cooking but there is a concern about the poison ivy oil and any effect it might still might have, via smoke, on the members and/or the food.

Q: How long would the oil remain on the tree bark and when would it be safe to be used for smoking?

There are usually 75 to 100 men at the meetings and many, like me, are allergic to the oil. So if any of you guys have some specialized knowledge in this, I would like to hear your thoughts.

I would think that given burning poison ivy is a bad idea and can cause problems, using the wood for a BBQ would be ill advised. The oil could still cause a rash even years later. At the very least standing around the pit could be problematic. Maybe if you were just having a fire?
However since it's not the actual ivy and it would have to go from wood to smoke to food...
I am sure there is someone with better knowledge but let us know if anyone ends up at the hospital.

Thanks for the responses. Confirms our fears. It'll get tossed in the gravel pit.

RK said:

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because this is the internet, i'll go ahead and say it....eh, I'm sure it's fine.

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also be sure to video and report back here.




Seriously, I can think of no good reason to even try it with that scenario since I'm pretty allergic to the stuff. It would freak me the hell out.

AggieChemist said:

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I don't often invoke my PhD on texags, but as a researcher who studies immunological biochemistry for a living, I would in NO WAY smoke with that wood.

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Is there really that long of a residual effect that wood that was in contact with poison ivy two years ago would still be "contaminated?"

As someone who is highly allergic to poison ivy, I would not burn it, smoke with it, touch it, or even look at. When I was a kid, we had a shovel that had been used in poison ivy and every time I touched it (I'm a slow learner), I'd get some level of breakout even a couple of years later.

One of my cousins threw in a bunch of brush in a campfire when we were kids. The stuff he threw in was wrapped in poison ivy.

Those who were down wind in the morning were covered up in that stuff. Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones.

I thought my uncle was going to kill him.

Interesting. I wonder how much this is even considered when cutting up trees for firewood.

I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

Not as big of a deal with firewood as long as you aren't leaving full vines attached to the wood. 1, that is a HOT fire. 2, the heat generally takes the smoke straight up, so any urishiol generally goes up, up, and away.

That could end up being your secret ingredient.

Oogway said:

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I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

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It's the skin. I can eat all the mangos I want, just can't handle and peel. Found out the hard way some time ago.

AC just earned a wedgie at the next OB get together.

Tony Franklins Shoe said:

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Oogway said:

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I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

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It's the skin. I can eat all the mangos I want, just can't handle and peel. Found out the hard way some time ago.

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You want hear something stranger, and maybe AC can chime in? If I eat sliced guacamole (no skin, just sliced), my mouth itches and the skin inside my mouth sloughs off. But, I can eat the **** out of guacamole.

My wife's maternal grandmother got downwind of a brush pile a few years back. Had a complete systemic reaction and spent many, many days in the hospital and even longer until full recovery. Her allergy is MUCH more sensitive now as well. Toss it.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Screw all this science talk. How do I join this club? I have been grooming myself for such a club for many many years.

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Winner! Can we get this man an invite?

It took quite a while for us to discover it was the mangos as I had coincidently eaten them around the same time as some shrimp so we thought it was the seafood. Which was sad, because giving up grilled shrimp, shrimp scampi, (you get the picture) was not going to be a happy time for Oogway. My left eye swelled shut after I had prepared some for the family and then we did the Google. Oops...

Although I like mangos, it wasn't a dealbreaker.

I second the nomination for MBL to your club...

When our kids were young, we had a baby sitter come in to our house during the day, she always brought them fresh fruit. Kids loved it all. We never ate mangos growing up because mom didn't want to pick them, peel them etc. I knew I was a poison ivy casualty, but had no idea about the mango skin.

I bought a couple and peeled them up for the kids, dad is a champ, father of the year material. Next morning I looked like I went 3 rounds with Mike Tyson, like you, eyes all puffy and blackened. Google told me to keep away from them from now on. Loved dried mango with chili pepper on them.

I've seen people after they burned poison ivy, not a ****ing chance in the world I would consider it.
I would nope the **** out of there if they insisted.

queso1 said:

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Tony Franklins Shoe said:

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Oogway said:

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I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

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It's the skin. I can eat all the mangos I want, just can't handle and peel. Found out the hard way some time ago.

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You want hear something stranger, and maybe AC can chime in? If I eat sliced guacamole (no skin, just sliced), my mouth itches and the skin inside my mouth sloughs off. But, I can eat the **** out of guacamole.

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The lime juice is acidic and may be causing a conformational change in whatever protein you are allergic to such that your circulating antibodies don't recognize the allergen. That is just a wild ass guess though.

AggieChemist said:

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queso1 said:

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Tony Franklins Shoe said:

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Oogway said:

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I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

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It's the skin. I can eat all the mangos I want, just can't handle and peel. Found out the hard way some time ago.

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You want hear something stranger, and maybe AC can chime in? If I eat sliced guacamole (no skin, just sliced), my mouth itches and the skin inside my mouth sloughs off. But, I can eat the **** out of guacamole.

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The lime juice is acidic and may be causing a conformational change in whatever protein you are allergic to such that your circulating antibodies don't recognize the allergen. That is just a wild ass guess though.

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My brother has an allergy to avocados too. No lime juice involved. His lips and tongue puff up a bit and feel tingly.

I believe AC was suggesting the lime juice might be why the guacamole DIDN'T affect him when the raw avocados did.

Ah, yep. I read it too fast.

Sorry AC and thanks Sean.

queso1 said:

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Tony Franklins Shoe said:

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Oogway said:

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I was curious about this myself. I haven't time right now to read up on it, but I can commiserate with others as I can't even eat mangos any longer unless they are already prepared. (the pit (?) contains urushiol)

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It's the skin. I can eat all the mangos I want, just can't handle and peel. Found out the hard way some time ago.

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You want hear something stranger, and maybe AC can chime in? If I eat sliced guacamole (no skin, just sliced), my mouth itches and the skin inside my mouth sloughs off. But, I can eat the **** out of guacamole.

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Wait... how TF does one slice guacamole?

Also, no... I wouldn't smoke with that wood even years later.

You can buy a ticket to the ICU by burning poison ivy. Saw it happen.

I have nothing near a PhD, and I don't study anything anywhere near chemistry.

Quote:

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A few years ago a load was brought in that had poison ivy

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I stopped right there. Negative ghostrider, the itching is full.

Pry off bark? Not worth the trouble?yeah