Guest Guest66881 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 The distraught husband of a Collie woman who died last month from legionnaires' disease has urged West Australians to be careful when handling potting mix. Mother-of-two Sharon Camisa had just celebrated her 42nd birthday on December 3 when she suddenly fell seriously ill. She was taken to Bunbury Hospital with what doctors believed to be pneumonia. She was placed in an induced coma and airlifted to Perth on December 16, her son's birthday. Mark Camisa, 42, her high-school sweetheart and husband of 25 years, fought back tears as he recalled her last waking moments. "She looked at me and said, 'I'm scared'," Mr Camisa said. "I said, 'OK, sweetheart we'll get through this, you'll be fine'. "I watched them wheel her down the corridor and that was the last time I saw her awake.:cry: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/21604667/death-prompts-potting-mix-alert/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindor Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Trippy! I repotted a couple of plants yesterday and was thinking about this! I don't wear a mask but hold my breath when I'm troweling it out of the bag! Maybe they should sell masks alongside the potting mix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Or at least make the public aware of potential hazards with some products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abz123 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Yep, supposed to be a higher risk from compost than dodgy a/c units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Or at least make the public aware of potential hazards with some products. It's written as a warning on all bags of potting mix here. I work in a production nursery, and none of us have ever heard of anyone actually getting it from potting mix, it is very rare (which is why it's in the news). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I understand it's on the packaging but i mean the sellers of such items, we all need to be made fully aware of any issues, i bet not that many read the small print on anything really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I understand it's on the packaging but i mean the sellers of such items, we all need to be made fully aware of any issues, i bet not that many read the small print on anything really. It's SO rare it would be like every time a shop gave you a shopping bag them telling you it could be a suffocation hazard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 But we all understand that bags can kill, not everyone would realise that simple potting mix is potentially a killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abz123 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I only knew about it because it came up as a safety share at work got a couple of open bags in the shed that I should probably throw out can't keep plants alive so no point in keeping it and what's with people having green thumbs here (as opposed to fingers)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 We have known about this for a long long time now and the warnings have been on the bags. Any soil actually we should be careful with, damp stuff. My brother's partner has just spent three weeks in hospital after moving mulch and they cannot diagnose what is causing the infection. Has had two operations, to look at the bones in his arm, antibiotics by drip and he is home now but his arm is still swollen and his hand has gone like a claw. Very very painful as well. He was in a ward with a lady who had been gardening, and a young bloke who just knelt down to look at his tyre on the road. That said my friend rang yesterday and was rushing off to one of her sons who had scraped his knee and was rushed to hospital on a drip infection etc etc. So we have to be careful out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Warnings have been around for a long time about this but I guess people forget or don't take the warnings seriously. Very sad for the lady and her family though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pob Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 So what's the problem with a little dirt? Seriously I used to eat mud pies when I was a kid. So I can catch things from dirt now? Really? I have potting mix in the garage I'm going to use it in a month or two, can it harm me? I have never read the labels on such things you just put it into the pots and away you go. How can it be dangerous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abz123 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 So what's the problem with a little dirt? Seriously I used to eat mud pies when I was a kid. So I can catch things from dirt now? Really? I have potting mix in the garage I'm going to use it in a month or two, can it harm me? I have never read the labels on such things you just put it into the pots and away you go. How can it be dangerous? dirt is okay, it's something about getting condensation inside the bag combined with the heat that makes it a potential source for legionnaires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny842003 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 But we all understand that bags can kill, not everyone would realise that simple potting mix is potentially a killer. But everything has the potential to kill you. Its written on the bag already. You would never get any shopping done if the cashier had to give you a list of all the hazards associated with everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Just don't breathe it in I guess- keep it pretty much at arm's length when repotting and wash your hands straight after. I know you are supposed to wear gloves but not many of us do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindor Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 So what's the problem with a little dirt? Seriously I used to eat mud pies when I was a kid. So I can catch things from dirt now? Really? I have potting mix in the garage I'm going to use it in a month or two, can it harm me? I have never read the labels on such things you just put it into the pots and away you go. How can it be dangerous? Because it contains micro organisms, including bacteria, fungi and Protozoa and minerals and fertilizer all of which can irritate the lungs and cause pneumonia and legionnaires disease. It can also cause dermatitis and can be dangerous to people with compromised immune systems. It's not soil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I always slash the bag and empty it into the wheel barrow. I figure if you give it some ventilation it won't harm you. I guess if you stick your head near the bag and breathe in you are asking for trouble. It's full of bacteria and fungus. That's what breaks the compost down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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