References & Sources

Wild spurges make risky houseplants

Some wild spurges, poinsettia relatives, contain skin-penetrating chemicals that can promote the growth of tumors.

References:

Vogg, G. . . . and H. Sandermann, Jr. 1999. Tumor promoters in commercial indoor-plant cultivars of the Euphorbiaceae. Environmental Health Perspectives 107(September):753.

Sources:

Heinrich Sandermann
GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health
Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology
D-85764 Oberschleib heim
Germany

From Science News, Vol. 156, No. 8, August 21, 1999, p. 126. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.