NEW SEWICKLEY TWP, Beaver County — Two township residents were exposed Aug. 9 to a dangerous, toxic plant listed on the Pennsylvania Noxious Weed Control List.

Joshua Harmke and Matt Berg of Brush Creek Road suffered the effects of hogwart, a sister plant to the notorious Giant Hogweed.

“It felt like we were on fire,” Harmke said.

Both said they were exposed to the spores of the plant while working on their fence line near Brush Creek.

“We kept on going around as usual, and our skin started burning,” Harmke said.

Contact with the sap of the weed can cause sensitivity to ultraviolet light, such as the sun, and also results in blisters and scars with a burning sensation “like a very strong poison ivy,” according to the state Department of Agriculture. It also could cause blindness if contact is made with the eyes.

The plant’s juices can produce painless red blotches that later develop into purplish or brownish scars that may persist for several years.

Harmke’s face and shoulders were affected, while Berg’s face, eyes, back and chest were exposed.

“I was sweating, so I wiped my face,” Berg said of how the spores’ oils were spread on him. “My eyes are still swollen today (Aug. 12).”

Harmke said the two bathed in a 55-gallon barrel of water and poured baking soda on themselves. But the relief was only temporary.

“A short time after that, it got to the point where it was almost unbearable,” Harmke said.

The two were later taken to UPMC Mercy, where they were placed in a decontamination room. Afterward, they were given Percocet and special creams.

Harmke said he has been indoors since then.

“I’m pretty much a vampire,” Harmke said. “When I go outside, I have to wear a long-sleeved shirt and sunglasses.”

Michael Lynch, medical director for UPMC’s Pittsburgh Poison Center said cases of hogweed and hogwart have been infrequent.

People usually are treated like most chemical burns by removing any residual resins, washing the affected areas and using antibiotics. More severe burns may require surgical intervention.

The Pittsburgh Poison Center can be contacted at 800-222-1222.

Berg later found the hogwart by the creek. He said he knew about the potential dangers of hogweed after reading previously about its effects.

“I sat there (reading) saying ‘Oh God, I hope we never run into that stuff,’” he said. “We had ice packs over everything and thought to look up hogweed.”

Experts say hogwart, hogweed and similar plants should be removed by professionals. People attempting to mow, cut or otherwise remove the plant themselves risk exposure to the plant’s poison.

“Individuals should stay away from the plant,” said Logan Hall, deputy communications director for the Department of Agriculture.

Hall also said removal by mowing would not work because the plant’s large perennial root system soon sends up new growth.

The weed, which can grow large in size, can be best identified when it is blooming. Numerous small white flowers in June or July cluster into a flat-topped umbel up to 2.5 feet across. Stems are hollow, ridged, can grow up to 14 feet tall and have purple blotches and coarse white hairs.

Leaves are lobed, deeply incised and up to five feet across. The fruit, containing the seeds, is dry, flattened, oval, about three-eighths of an inch long, and tan with brown lines.

Those who believe they have discovered the plant near them can call the Noxious Weed Hotline at 877-464-9333.

“If the plant is Giant Hogweed, we will make arrangements to visit your property, assess the site and discuss our management strategies with you,” Hall said. “The department’s staff has knowledge of which herbicide combinations are effective in controlling this noxious weed.”

Eradication efforts would be long-term since the plant’s seeds remain dormant for at least five years.

Hall said there are fewer than 80 known hogweed sites across the state, a decrease from the 500-plus sites at the beginning of the department’s eradication program in 1998.

Harmke and Berg said they are on a waiting list to have the plants removed.

“Hopefully we get the word out so nobody else has to suffer,” Harmke said.

Giant Hogweed was discovered in 2009 in Forward Township near the Pittsburgh/Buffalo Railroad tracks, the intersection of tracks and Ash Stop Road and also at the intersection of Spithaler School and Ash Stop roads.

Department workers used herbicide to eradicate the weed soon after its discovery and will continue to treat the area to prevent re-growth.

For information on hogweed and similar toxic plants, visit the department’s website at www.agriculture.pa.gov.