Many see gardening as a relaxing pastime, a quiet way to spend a few hours outdoors on a sunny day. And that’s true ! But not only… As an emergency medicine specialist, I am regularly confronted with all kinds of injuries resulting from what was seen as a harmless hobby.
There are the classics, which immediately come to mind: the countless little stings and bites, not to mention the pesticides. And over the years, I have also taken care of hand wounds and lesions caused by cutting tools, ranging from axes to secateurs, as well as to the foot, due this time rather to lawnmowers and pitchforks.
In the past few weeks alone, I have seen people arrive from ladder falls, with head injuries from falls on concrete. Sadly, I have also confirmed the death of an elderly person whose enthusiasm for shoveling proved too much for his heart.
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And if today we have many treatments for most of these wounds and traumas, in the past the garden could be a real danger. One of the first patients to be treated with penicillin, in 1941, was a police officer who apparently contracted sepsis after being scratched by a rose thorn. At the time, the smallest of wounds could have fatal consequences…
And it turns out that may still be the case. A British woman died in 2016 of sepsis after scratching her hand while gardening. (In France, all causes combined, more than 250,000 cases of sepsis are recorded each year, of which more than 50,000 are fatal, editor’s note)
But these are not the only dangers lurking in your garden. Here are some tips to follow before going to take care of your plants:
Watch out for tetanus
Tetanus is a particularly dangerous – and impressive – infection. All the muscles go into spasm under the effect of the toxin released by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which causes very painful cramps, convulsions, locking of the jaw and often a very pronounced arch of the back. When the respiratory muscles are affected, death occurs by asphyxiation.
The suffering caused by this disease is as intense as it is difficult to describe.
Many associate tetanus with things like rusty nails. True, but this microorganism is very widespread and is also found in the soil, especially if there is manure – bacteria of the genus Clostridium indeed live in the intestine. Roses like soil containing manure, which could make these beloved flowers deadly if you cut yourself with contaminated thorns or if soiled soil came in contact with a cut. In 75% of cases, a minimal lesion is the source of the infection.
Vaccination is particularly effective against this infection, hence the importance of checking that your vaccine (and its booster) is up to date. Remember that in unvaccinated people, the lethality rate of tetanus can exceed 50%.
(In France, we still die of tetanus: between 2011 and 2020, around ten cases were recorded each year, with a fatality rate of 29%, editor’s note)
Bacteria and fungi are everywhere
In a humble bag of fertilizer hides an ingredient that many of us do not expect: the Legionella family of bacteria, the risk of which is best known via air conditioning systems or water supply systems.
This bacterium can cause an infection called Legionnaire’s disease, or legionellosis, which is particularly dangerous, and potentially fatal, especially for the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. If inhaled, it can cause acute lung infections and pneumonia. The warm, stagnant water used in the composting process may explain its presence.
Pre-packaged fertilizer isn’t the only dangerous one. Your own compost heap is also full of various bacteria and fungi which, if properly maintained, however, should not cause you any problems.
But it often happens that Aspergillus mold develops when it’s hot outside. They can lead to serious lung damage and can even spread throughout the body, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised. Again, there are fatal cases.
Mold spores can also trigger a condition known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis or “farmer’s lung”: hypersensitivity causing inflammation of the air cells. This condition was classically due to exposure to moldy hay, but compost piles can also do the same due to the presence of organisms such as Aspergillus (filamentous fungi) and bacteria of the genus Actinomycetes.
Beware of rats and leptospirosis
Leptospira is a bacterium that can be found in water contaminated with rat urine. Since rats often build habitats near humans, it is best to be careful when near ponds or rain barrels when gardening.
These bacteria can take advantage of skin lesions or droplets reaching our mucous membranes to colonize our body. They cause leptospirosis, an infection (zoonosis, because coming from an animal) which causes headaches, fevers, chills, vomiting, jaundice and, in some cases, liver failure, kidney failure and meningitis.
Beware of your power tools
Chainsaw, hedge trimmer, mower… While power tools have clearly made our work in the garden easier, they have just as clearly increased the risk of injury.
Hedge trimmers can be a great way to tame trees and bushes, but they can amputate fingers and inflict injuries very effectively on limbs and torso – there is a 30% increase in hand in summer in the south of France for example. Hedge trimmers and lawnmowers can also easily cut electrical cables, which can lead to electrocution.
Use common sense: wear gloves, closed shoes and wait for the hedge trimmer to stop before clearing the branches you have cut to limit the risks.
Stay safe
Of course, many of these dangers seem rare, or obvious. Yes, but the risk is real… Fortunately, there are simple measures, often obvious too, to take to avoid them:
Do you have wounds, even small ones, on your hands or areas of skin that will be exposed to soil, for example? Clean them and cover them while you go out gardening.
Make sure your vaccinations are up to date (especially for tetanus).
Keep all compost and fertilizer away from your face when opening the bags.
Avoid attracting rats by not putting cooked food on your compost pile, cover your water tanks and set traps in case of infestation.
Prop up ladders carefully, on level ground, away from power lines.
Appreciate the presence of wild animals…but leave them alone. Snakes can be dangerous, like foxes in particular – which transmit echinococcosis, a parasitic disease caused by a flatworm.
And one last tip from me. Every year, the burn unit at my hospital sees people who have tried to speed up the process of lighting their barbecue by using gasoline. Not all survive. So if you’re planning to cook the fruits of your labor on a barbecue in your backyard, do so carefully. And make sure you’re cooking it properly – neither pink (meat and fish should be cooked through to rid them of any parasites), nor burnt.
This article was written by researcher Stephen Hughes and published on the website The Conversation.
