Hmmm,,, I haven't heard of elephant ears doing that. Hyacinth bulbs cause itching.... Hope the feeling is gone by now, was/is there a rash? (lucky aroids & you, having a greenhouse)

I usually use my thumbnail to pinch off elephant ear leaves that have begun to droop and rot and have not experienced any itching or discomfort.

My guess is that you touched something before or after the elephant ear leaves.

Yes, it has happen to me and my friend.
And if you have an open wound already it may become infected. The liquid that comes from cutting them will also discolor your clothes and hands. Use a diluated bleach solution to remove the stains from your hands and to sanitize them.
Most EE bulbs are toxic and if eaten raw can close your throat and cause breathing difficulty.

I found out the hard way about weedeating some Elephant Ears along a pond once. The aeresol-like mist from the water and Elephant Ears hit me and I thought I was on fire.
Someone later told me a little WD-40 sprayed on the effected areas soothes the burning.
Randy

It is gone now, but it was very strong. I also was covered up to the elbo in EE sap and quite possibly may have had multiple tiny cuts from tearing the leaves apart. I was not the only one with the symptoms. The elephant ears wasthe only thing we were working on at the time.

They, like philodendrums, contain oxalate crystals, which are, as you found out, irritating to some people. Don't bother everyone. Pencil trees can cause contact dermatitis and it is fairly common in the flower trade-mostly from alstromeria.
Wash area well with soap and water, wear long sleeves and gloves when handling them.
Tally HO!

Klavier you don't have to have ANY cuts for it to affect you, it is something in the sap that irritates your skin.

I spent days de-seeding Amorph and Alocasia berries and without rubber gloves I start to itch in about 10 minutes. If you continue, as I did just to see what happens, your skin goes all red and prickly and it can take a day or two to go away.
I have no allergies to anything and my skin is not sensitive at all (bit like the rest of me) yet this definitely caused quite strong irritation.

I make my staff use gloves when pruning any Aroid just to be on the safe side.

Cheers, Troy.

This surprises me! Would it only be in the leaf part? I pinch at the stems so naturally the 'juice' or 'sap' would be on my thumb and nail. I haven't experienced any problems myself.

The crystals are present in all parts of the plants.
Troy, take some benadryl for the rash and itching. Just follow the directions on the box.
1-800-222-1222 will get ya'll to poison center & help.
Tally HO!

AzureDragon: I often used to pull apart Alocasia macrorrhiza flowers when showing people around where I used to work, and it was the same. Unless I washed my hands within a few minutes they would begin tingling and finally get itchy.

Beachplant, I hope that number's toll free, I live in Indonesia.

Cheers, Troy.

Out of curiosity, since the culprit seems to be oxalic acid crystals, has anyone ever tried or recommended washing with some sort of base (e.g. baking soda, ammonium or maybe even a dilute lye) to try to dissolve the crystals somewhat?

Wow - strange. I've never had EEs do that to me, or any other plant that is supposedly prone to cause rash - like Rue, for instance. But, then, mosquitoes don't bother me either. They go for the granddaughter!

Susan

Just use soap and water to get rid of the crystals, you don't ever want to mix and acid and base on your skin or in your stomach, chemical reactions produce heat ya know.
Sorry night breed, US #, though we have gotten calls from Germany, Spain and the middle East! Mostly from the military.
Tally HO!

OMG my arms are on FIRE! Weed eater EE just now and I feel like tiny needles all over where I was exposed