I grew up in south Florida, where the Man ‘o War paid periodic visits. I don’t know where the science left off and wive’s tales took over. But I know the lifeguards always kept a bottle of household ammonia nearby for stings. Supposedly it neutralized the toxin, and probably the source of the “urine as a last resort”…?
Yep, you're on it, D. Urea is said to work, and is likely the reasoning behind the urination solution. The problem is that the amount of urea in urine is far too small to have any effect.
Incidentally I forgot to include one of the better solutions, which is vinegar. I did manage to get Tom to edit my piece locally before it published in his Crystal Beach newsletter today, so I got that going for me. 😜
As always, thanks a million for reading and even more for chiming in!
I grew up in south Florida, where the Man ‘o War paid periodic visits. I don’t know where the science left off and wive’s tales took over. But I know the lifeguards always kept a bottle of household ammonia nearby for stings. Supposedly it neutralized the toxin, and probably the source of the “urine as a last resort”…?
Yep, you're on it, D. Urea is said to work, and is likely the reasoning behind the urination solution. The problem is that the amount of urea in urine is far too small to have any effect.
Incidentally I forgot to include one of the better solutions, which is vinegar. I did manage to get Tom to edit my piece locally before it published in his Crystal Beach newsletter today, so I got that going for me. 😜
As always, thanks a million for reading and even more for chiming in!
Any plans to visit the beach this summer?
~~ Johnny