“Tuja’s accident” happened four years ago. But the 69-year-old is still battling the pain.

– I scratched myself and started bleeding. Tuja’s sap had penetrated the open wounds. It was so bad. The sores were completely yellow and a lot of fluid was leaking out, Rune Haukeland tells Dagbladet

Four years ago, Haukeland was only going to carve the tuja and put on the shorts. During labor he was scratched by the plant and started bleeding. This is written by Enebakk newspaper, which first reported the case.

Cedar is a popular garden plant. One reason for this is that it is easy to care for and can be planted both freestanding and as a hedge. Toxicity does not contribute to the popularity of the plant in Norwegian homes.

painful nightmare

14 days later, he ended up in the Ski emergency room, with red, inflamed sores. The doctor was not surprised:

“Everyone knows that thuja contains yellow staphylococci and warm bacteria,” Haukeland says, he was told.

– Maybe everyone knows it, but I didn’t know it, Haukeland told Dagbladet.

Haukeland stresses that he could never have imagined that the consequences after a garden cut could be so painful. Now he wants to warn others against buying tuja.

Never again

Haukeland says he had heard before that pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems should not come into contact with cedar, but he hadn’t thought about the fact that he himself had to protect himself. while gardening.

– It causes unbearable itching, so I do not recommend touching this plant. If you have children, they can put twigs in their mouths. So it’s better if they don’t meet the tuja at all, he says.

Rune still has some tujas in his garden, which he bought with his neighbors. Now he hopes to be able to replace them with something else.

– If the tuja needs to be cared for, I wear overalls, a hat and gloves, so that the skin does not come into contact with the tuja, he specifies.

– Huge problem of explanation

– Non-lethal

Cedar expert Per Spangen, who works at Norway’s Green Vocational School, tells Dagbladet that people with green fingers should be aware of the “cedar terror”.

– It’s not a deadly poison, but the essential oil can cause skin reactions, and other respiratory problems and itching, Spangen tells Dagbladet.

The thuya plant contains a lot of essential oils. Spangen says it’s this oil that can cause reactions if it gets on the skin.

– Cedars are found everywhere, it is a very popular garden plant that can often be seen in parks. It wasn’t Tuja that worried me directly. There are a number of other plants that most people come into daily contact with in nature and that people can react to in close contact, the speaker explains.

He cites the Tromsø palm and the giant bear biscuit, which are examples of two plants that can cause burns to the skin.

– But people should still be aware of the reactions that cedar can give if they garden a lot themselves

Women are climate winners

Still in trouble

Haukeland is healthy now, but he still struggles with his hands. He says he has bad scars and he still has bad wounds on his hands.

– I have to take cortisone, and I’ve had it on prescription since Tuja’s accident. Something that isn’t good to use for so long, but itches so badly.

Haukeland says he has been a heavy bandage user for four years, due to open wounds from his fingertips to his shoulders.