Pretty Poison Oak = Itchy, Scratchy Janet

Last week I spent a few hours happily taking pictures of mushrooms in our lower forest. I had to lay on the ground for many of my shots, and noticed that I'd rubbed up against poison oak plants on many occasions. However, I was so excited about my pictures that I completely forgot about the poison oak. That is, until I began itching about 8 hrs later! It's eight days later now and I'm still scratching! :D I managed to get poison oak oil on little spots of both hands, my wrists, all over my stomach and a spot on my jawline! :D The good thing is that my body is used to poison oak, so this rash isn't horrible and it doesn't itch really badly, but the next time I go out to take pictures, I'll be a lot more careful! The rash should be gone in another week for me, though it would be 3 or 4 weeks for people who are really sensitive to poison oak. (Some would be hospitalized by just a little contact!)

Fun Facts About Poison Oak Oil (Urushiol Oil)
• Only 1 nanogram (billionth of a gram) needed to cause rash (Average is 100 nanograms for most people)
• 1/4 ounce of urushiol is all that is needed to cause a rash in every person on earth
• 500 people could itch from the amount covering the head of a pin
• Specimens of urushiol several centuries old have found to cause dermatitis in sensitive people.
• 1 to 5 years is normal for urushiol oil to stay active on any surface including dead plants
• Derived from urushi, Japanese name for lacquer

If you would like to know more about Poison Oak, Wiki has a great source of information here: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)
More information can be found here! Poison Oak Information