This story was first published on May 11th, 2010
Outline
Message claims that an indoor plant that is commonly kept in homes and offices is so poisonous that it can kill a child in less than a minute and an adult in 15 minutes. The message, which comes with a photograph of the “killer plant”, also warns that touching the plant and then rubbing your eyes can cause permanent blindness.
Brief Analysis
The plant shown in the photograph that comes with this warning email is a dieffenbachia, a very popular indoor pot plant. If the leaves of dieffenbachia are ingested by humans or animals, poisoning can indeed occur. However, this warning message significantly exaggerates the severity of dieffenbachia poisoning. Deaths from dieffenbachia poisoning can occur but are very rare. Most human poisoning cases result in relatively minor symptoms and the victim makes a full recovery.
Example
Subject: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT!
Dear all,
Please read below. The message is true. I almost lost my daughter who put a piece of the leaf of this plant in her mouth and her tongue swelled to the point of suffocation. This is one plant but there are others with the same characteristics of coloring. Those are also poisonous and we should get rid of them. Please watch out for our children. As we all leave our children home in the hands of the helpers, we should give them a safe environment where they can play.
“This plant that we have in our homes and offices is extremely dangerous!
This plant is common in Kenya , Rwanda, Uganda in plant nurseries, many offices and homes. It is a deadly poison, mainly for the children. It can kill a kid in less than a minute and an adult in 15 minutes. It should be uprooted from gardens and taken out of offices. If touched, one should never touch ones eyes; it can cause partial or permanent blindness. Please alert your buddies.
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.com/killer-house-plant-warning.shtml