Talent, Oregon Kids Poisoned by Wild Hemlock

Several children in Talent, Oregon recently discovered something the ancient Greeks knew. Hemlock is poisonous. A small group of elementary and middle school aged kids were playing at the Talent Middle School on Monday evening when a high school aged brother of one of the children said that the hemlock they found growing on the middle school campus was safe to eat. He called it "wild parsley" and several children followed his lead and ingested some of the plants. The children had been discussing whether or not it was possible to hallucinate or get a "high" from eating hemlock, but were unaware of the real danger involved.

Later that evening, several kids were taken to the hospital after some experienced numbness in their legs, extreme vomiting and reports that they saw visions of "purple cows". One boy said his legs, "felt like water."

"You think this is such a small town and kids are safe. It seems like nothing bad can happen here and yet it did," Cory Burnett said. "My kids play there."

Patches of the plant were found along the edge of the schoolyard and district officials quickly enlisted the help of grounds crews to remove all signs of the plants following notification from the children's parents. The middle school principle said, "Safety is very important and we'll do whatever it takes to rid the risks on our facility."

According to WebMd eMedicine.com , "Poison hemlock grows in diverse settings, including wooded areas, ditches, and waysides throughout the US, and may be mistaken for other plants such as fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium)." How prevalent is this? In 2003, the system that keeps track of poison control cited reports of 77,169 plant exposures. There were no deaths reported, but that translates to a lot of sick and injured people and children.

Several parents have cited the importance of talking to kids about not putting anything into their mouths, especially, "because a friend or another child says you should." Parents should watch out for wild hemlock and teach their children what it looks like, so they know it is something to avoid touching.

All children involved are in fair condition and expected to make full recovery. Police say they are still investigating and do not know if any charges will be filed against the older child.

Source:
Daniel E Brooks, MD, Plant Poisioning Hemlock, eMedicine.com