It looks like an innocent flower, but it’s so dangerous it can alter human DNA.
The Giant Hogweed is one of the most dangerous invasive plants in the US — and it’s all over New York state.
The hogweed is packed with sap that it causes phytophotodermatitis — meaning it stops the skin’s ability to protect itself from the sun’s harmful rays. In extreme cases, exposure can result in third-degree burns and even blindness. And the effects can last months, or even years.
Even just brushing against a Hogweed is enough cause painful pustules and skin damage. And most people who come into contact with the noxious weed, don’t even realize it until it’s too late.
That’s what happened to Patryck Jones when he spent a hot day last July clearing the brush around his church in Syracuse.
Jones, 33, used a weed wacker to chop down stalks of Giant Hogweed — a towering plant with harmless-looking white flowers similar to Baby’s Breath.