A lot of safety gardening issues are double-edged swords. There can be no doubt that excessive sunlight exposure can cause melanomas, but sunlight is also something that all living creatures need. I'm guessing I am not getting the requisite amount of rays, due to the fact that I wear long sleeves and long pants as armor against insects and because I am often too cold but never too warm. Because my eyes are sensitive to light, I also wear hats with brims, just so I can see, but it also limits my sunlight exposure, for good or bad.

I will never wear gloves while gardening, simply because I cannot stand them! And also there is a known benefit to skin contact with the soil, and nature in general, that out-weighs the concerns of parasites or other evils lurking in the soil. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9099/the-surprising-health-benefits-of-going-barefoot.html

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/dirt-make-us-happy-getting-hands-ground-better-prozac/

I probably shouldn't say this, but I treat myself every year or so for possible parasitic infection using equine worming products. Worms live in the soil, and I don't want them living in me! Once, long ago, I went through the appropriate human medical channel to treat roundworms and was subjected to lengthy humiliation and charged 10 times what the same drug in the agricultural community costs, and I said never again.

When I get barbed wire or thorn cuts or insect bites/stings, I immediately pour hydrogen peroxide into the wounds. It introduces oxygen into puncture wounds and prevents or stops infections in their tracks. It is far more effective than anti-bacterial soaps (which carry their own health hazards, so much so that I have banished them from my home). Peroxide is always the best first medicine for puncture wounds, and soaking in hot water, especially with Epsom salts which will draw out foreign objects, is a great follow-up.

Tetanus shots at 5 year intervals are a must for any gardener, especially for those of us who have pastured horses on their property at any point in time. We have only to mention that we are former horse owners to dissuade any reluctance on the part of physicians to give us out 5 year "jabs." Tetanus lives in moist damp earth so it is always a concern.

The tick danger is perhaps the most serious of all, as well described by Dee.

Gosh, you folks have fairly well covered the big issues. Great topic, Marie!

One additional item is to be careful using power tools, using eye and ear protection and whatever safety equipment is pertinent to the particular tool. For instance, when using our heavy duty weed whacker, which has the option of blades as well as a string trimmer, I wear the same protective chaps that DH uses with the chain saw along with a helmet that has a face screen and built in ear protection.

I have learned through experience (though no serious injuries) that sharp clippers can work as well on bodies as on branches, so I am now quite careful about where the blades are related to hands, feet, legs, etc. before closing them.

I tend to work outside morning and evening rather than 10-3 when sun is stronger along with wearing protective clothing. My doctor told me that this far north, with the exception of a few weeks around the first day of summer, our sun angle is such that the rays are too filtered by the atmosphere for our bodies to produce enough vitamin D, so take D supplements or get it through diet rather than expecting your skin making it.

I am quite allergic to poison ivy and I use alternating rubbing alcohol and dish soap to remove the urushiol oil from my skin. Works well. I wipe down clothing and shoes with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and soak clothes in Biz laundry treatment (after much searching I found it at Target) and then regular washing 2x. That does a thorough job of making the clothing wearable again.

I am also getting better at paying attention to body mechanics. I try to avoid doing the same task for too long to reduce repetitive motion strain, think about how I pick things up to avoid back injuries, and am more likely to use a cart or tractor than try to hand carry heavy, bulky items by hand.

Though I don't often use them, I always read instructions on any fertilizers, pesticides, etc including "natural" ones and wear whatever protective equipment is needed. For instance, diatomaceous earth will do lung damage if inhaled, so needs to be used with caution and breathing protection.

These are excellent comments. They're about things I think about, too. I don't think about ticks enough, but I'm very aware of ear protection. I hadn't thought about peroxide as the first line of defense in cuts. Actually, we don't use anti bacterial soap anymore either. I am generally much more- hyper aware- of hand washing since I started working in nursing homes and hospitals. Those are really really dirty places. Much more likely to pick up a life changing infection there than in a former pasture. Tentanus would be life changing for sure but at least there's a preventive measure.

Do any of you women have luck getting the man in your life to wear sunscreen? There's better hat compliance because of male pattern baldness. But sunscreen? I have to chase my husband down....

Speds, saying you'll never wear gloves makes me wonder how old you are. I'm certainly not out to change your mind but aging changed mine. Despite a lifetime of really oily skin my hands became too dry and the skin too fragile to garden without gloves. And I'm still a little vain and hate those big brown liver spots I used to stare at on old ladies' hands when I rode the bus to school.

Marie

PS People, I've tried changing my username and have had not luck. Is there a trick?

What a list! Now we know the real reasons why Adam and Eve invented clothing!

Carol

Marie, go to Your Houzz in upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and then add whatever you want to show as your user name under first name (publicly displayed) and last name if you want that. Add under About Me "My zone is: z4b-5a NH" (whatever is appropriate for you) so that it will pop up in all your posts. They filled in mine after I complained about lack of zone info, so that exact wording will (to my understanding) make your zone show up in GW posts, but not in Houzz posts if you also post there.

mrtulin, you're so right about a hospital setting! An environment of many sick human beings has to be more dangerous than anything we encounter in the garden.

To your question, I'm 65, and not at all vain about my hands! I worked with them all my life and cherished every character building scar and callous. Now, my only lost pride stems from being a wimp due to thinning old skin that has rendered my hands less resilient to cuts and burns than before and less strong than they once were.

Good point, NHBabs about power equipment. I hadn't thought of that. My weed whacker is battery powered, so noise levels aren't a concern, but I do wear safety glasses to protect against flying debris.

We have no poison ivy on the property, but we do have wild parsnips, aka poison parsnips, so the same concerns and prevention methods there.