Sphagnum Moss ???

[flhiker]

Hi all, Has anyone ever gotten sick or had a cut become infected because you worked with Sphagnum moss? I have a friend tell me that you could. Just wondering if anyone else heard or experienced this.

[minicatt]

Yes, you can get sick from the moss. It has some fancy name, i'm sure you can google it and come up with all sorts of nasty warnings. I have worked with moss for years now with nary a problem. Best to avoid breathing any dust though.
If your scared, wear disposable gloves when handling moss.
Peter.

[GreggC]

had problems with fungal infections because of messing with it. Personally, I don't use it much at all, although there are cicumstances that you have to use it.

[cb977]

You can always get infected by cutting yourself on something that is, or once was, alive. Always wash the area well and then dab on some triple antibiotic like neosporin or something like that.

From Wikipedia:

Sphagnum moss can potentially harbour the chronic fungal disease, sporotrichosis. Sporothrix schenckii spores enter the skin via abrasions, scratches, and small puncture wounds as a result of unprotected contact exposure to Sphagnum moss.