Dangers of using Mulch / Compost

Hi Jackie
I hope you have a wonderful New Year with your family and enjoy good health.
I very nearly did not make 2012, on the 16th Dec I had been shifting large amounts of garden mulch dropped at home by a good friend, 5 days prior Sandra had been moving a small amount and she had trouble breathing as she is an Asthma sufferer. Sandra used her spray and came right but I told her not to shift any more and I would finish the job .
I spent the day shoveling barrow loads of this mulch (Douglas Fir fine mulch) and every time I dug the shovel in clouds of grey dust and steam would rise but I just ignored it , by 9.30 that evening my stomach had expanded and I was not feeling very well.
By 10.30pm I was wheezing and having trouble breathing, I asked Sandra to call 111 as I was really in a bad way , it took 35 mins to get the first Paramedic, she gave me oxygen but my heart rate had rocketed and I was struggling with breathing real bad , the Paramedic called for back up and asked for the Helicopter as I was then a Status 2 .
The controller did not think that it warranted calling the chopper and the back up ambulance was in Shannon still 35 mins away ..
At this point I was in a really bad way and the Paramedic (Corale) was doing everything she could with IV's etc, I said I wanted to go to the toilet as my stomach felt like it was going to explode ! with Sandra's help the two of them got me into the ensuite and I did explode !
At this point I think that Corale realized that I had an allergic reaction to the Spores from the mulch. The ambulance finally arrived and they put me in and set off to Palmerston North Hospital (45 mins away) I was in a terrible state and I really thought I was going to die, they stopped the ambulance and took on a advanced paramedic , he said my saturation was 97%, my heart rate was 160 and my B/P was 81/ 53 !! . They IVed me Ameoderone/ Furosemide /and other drugs .
By the time they wheeled me into A and E I though this is it , they worked on my frantically and slowly my BP was coming up but my breathing was bad , they did x-rays and said I was full of fluid , they gave me stronger Furosemide and I slowly stated to respond, a catheter got rid of 3 and 1/2 litres of fluid and by 3.30 am I was just starting to think I might make it .
Poor Sandra was just about beside herself with worry , they put me in the ward and Sandra went home at 4 am .I spent 4 days in there with Echocardiographs / x-rays / IV's etc., fortunately I did not do any damage to my heart even though they said I was going into heart failure when I came in.
My echo was OK and my BP had come up and my pulse was coming down the next day ..
I am still on Furosemide for a month / Digoxin for a month and Candestar 8mg for a month. I am now feeling like my old self again , my BP is good and my pulse is good but I have learnt a lot about working with Mulch or compost !
I will send you an Article on email that I Googled, it is about a man who died from the same situation !

Best wishes ...........Kevin

. I am sure this what happened to me , I am lucky to have survived !...........Kevin
Man dies after inhaling fungal spores from garden compost
· Common mould can harm lungs, scientists warn
· An 'occupational hazard' for gardeners, but risk low

·

o

.
Article history


Aspergillus fumigatus fungus, commonly found in decaying vegetation. Photograph: Science photo library

Gardeners should take extra care when handling old bags of compost after a man died from kidney failure after inhaling poisonous fungal spores, doctors have warned.

The 47-year-old welder from Buckinghamshire, who has not been named, died in intensive care a week after being engulfed by "clouds of dust" when he opened bags of rotting plant material that had been left to fester, in a case reported in the Lancet.

Doctors were baffled by his condition until his partner said he had fallen ill after working in the garden. Later tests revealed he had developed acute aspergillosis, a dangerous reaction to Aspergillus fumigatus spores. The fungus, which is commonly found growing on dead leaves, compost piles and decaying vegetation, may trigger a relatively harmless allergic reaction but can cause serious problems if too many spores get into the lungs.

David Waghorn, a doctor at Wycombe hospital in Buckinghamshire and a microbiologist, said the man had been unlucky: "He'd been opening bags of compost and mulch which had been left to rot. The fungus spores had grown in perfect conditions. He was extremely unlucky - there must have been a very large number of spores which he inhaled."

People with weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable. "What we don't know is how strong his defences were. He was a smoker and a welder by trade and his lungs may have been damaged. It's a very unusual thing to happen but if people are dealing with big bags of mulch, there is a potential danger," said Waghorn.

The man, who had previously been healthy, became ill 24 hours later, but was not admitted to hospital until a week later, when he complained of chest pains and breathing difficulties. Despite being given oxygen by medical staff, tests showed his tissue was starved of oxygen and that he was suffering from "overwhelming sepsis", a life-threatening condition caused by an overactive immune system. Symptoms include a fast heart rate, low blood pressure and kidney problems.

Doctors initially thought he had developed pneumonia from a bacterial infection but treatment with antibiotics was not successful. Once aspergillosis was confirmed, intravenous antifungal drugs were given by doctors, but the treatment came too late.

Waghorn said: "I don't know if he could have been saved had we known about the spores, but we could have given the antifungal drugs sooner."

The authors of the article said that while acute aspergillosis after contact with decayed plant matter is rare, it "may be considered a hazard for gardeners".

In April, a group of German scientists raised concerns about the dangers of airborne mould spores produced when organic waste decayed. The spores could lead to allergic reactions, asthma attacks and hayfever-like symptoms, they said.

Harald Morr, a leading pneumologist, said: "Even just opening the lid of a bin containing organic waste can cause mould spores to be stirred up which, if breathed in, can damage the lungs."

Householders who regularly handled organic waste were advised to wear face masks and to keep a distance when handling rotting material.

.

Thank you Kevin for posting this very important information regarding the potential dangers hiding in mulch. I'm so very sorry to read about what happened to you...and very glad you are still with us. What an ordeal.
Best to you... Jackie

Ameoderone is probably what I spell Amiodarone, so it's iodine.
Yes, iodine cures asthma, helps my breathing too.

William

Kevin:

Did you use mulch or compost, sounds like you used mulch. I get compost from a place that makes compost from grass clippings, leaves and cow manure. He brings it to me in a huge truck, I get two big piles, the compost is like black dirt, no oder or dust, which I spread on my garden. I have always thought if the compost was throughly composted that the heat which is generated by the composting process kills any pathogens, maybe I am wrong.

Mulch is a different matter, I can see where that could harbor pathogens, I do use mulch of straw and some pine needles, when handling mulch I will wear a mask from now on, thanks for the heads up.

Liz

Hi William,
Fortunately they only gave me Amioderone for a short period on the first night.
Amioderone is a dangerous drug and can have lasting side effects if used for a long period, Jackie would be able to give you a better run down on this drug.

Kevin

Co-Incicence

A few days before my Stroke which was caused my my AFIB, which I didnt know I had, and I had no symptoms, or wrning signs..
I borrowed my neighbors Roto-tiller and tilled my garden of very thick compost and leaves. I was physically demanding but I fet OK..

Two Days before my sroke I was riding my dirt bike in the woods. A small stream had flooded the trail. I parked my bike, got a shovel and tried to drain the swamp area. I smelled a lot of rottting vegitatrion, got a little dizzy, took a short break and moved on.

2 mornings later I woke up with a horrible headache and my left side was partially paralyzed. Docators said AFIB sent a blood clot to my Brain.

8 months has passed, I have been feeling better, I hope the rot was the cause of my Irregulare heartbeat and I recover..

Thanks for the Info..

Hi Liz,
This was a Soft wood (Douglas Fir) and it was in alrge piles and had been wet over a period of about 2 weeks so it was "Cooking" inside.
Apparently this is what causes the spores to produce and when the pile is opened that is when the danger is but I did not know and had never been warned about this sort of thing.
My wife is an Asthmatic and her reaction was what we thought was just her normal reaction that she gets out in the garden and during cold spells .


Kevin

When i used to live in Arlington,Va., i used to get the local landscaping companies to drop off a load of woodchips from their brushcutting **** any time they were in my vicinity with one. After it had some time to decay,often the pile would release a cloud of gray stuff when opened. Often i have breathed a lot of this when scooping up buckets of mulch to spread it where it needed to go. It never did me any harm,but i was a lot younger then and a lot stronger too. Things that sickened others usually did not bother me then.

PeggyM