Banning Peanuts on Airplanes

[mama1803]

Do you agree with this or not?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100611/...nuts_on_planes

[dannic]

I don't know...I totally understand ana allergies and want people to be able to fly, but I think it should be a voluntary thing. Some airlines already voluntarily removed them and I think education and external pressure are better ways to do it than force.
However, don't read the comments! WOW! People are incredibly rude. Calling children with allergies "bastards" and "spoiled brats"? Um, like it's their fault? Like they want to have life-threatening allergies? And the ignorance displayed is frightening: "Hello! If you're allergic, then don't EAT them!" Clearly, we need to educate some people...

*when I was a newly wed we flew to OK and they didn't serve peanuts and I was disappointed--not realizing why they weren't serving them anymore...

[lil_miss_understood]

I don't know. On one hand, I see it as a right to life vs a right to eat peanuts thing. When put in that context, right to life will always win. On the other hand, I see it as a right to freedom vs right to fly thing. And in that context, right to freedom will always win. It's a difficult decision no matter which way you break it.

eta: I always hate these articles bc I can't refrain from reading the idiocy in the comments and then I get angry and depressed at people's self-obsession.

[Therese's Mommy]

Thanks for the warning about the comments...I know I better not click the link. My mom flew out here last month and was really shocked that she was given peanuts. She said she hadn't had peanuts on a plane in a long time (she flew a lot with her job before retiring a year ago). Once she realized she was handed peanuts she gave them back not wanting to contaminate herself before getting here. I will never fly with my food allergic kiddo, even if peanuts weren't allowed. What do you do at 30K feet when a kid is having an ana reaction Scary scary stuff

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Therese's Mommy

What do you do at 30K feet when a kid is having an ana reaction Scary scary stuff

I think about this a lot, my DS is ana to peanuts and sesame. I'm not sure how to deal with this when his (argued with me from day one of diagnosis) father will want to take him to visit family.

The last I read the only time there has been life threatening reactions is when unsafe food was eaten?

[mamafish9]

Peanut allergy is the #1 cause of food allergy death amongst kids. 1 in 100 kids is peanut allergic. You can't avoid the invisible peanut schmeer on the tray of the airplane from the last person who ate their peanut snack there hours ago. And for toddlers, plenty of those parents don't yet know their child is peanut allergic.

My niece had a severe anaphylactic reaction at 15 months old to peanut residue on a high chair in a restaurant - and it was wiped down right before she sat down to eat. If she had been in an airplane, she could have died. My daughter found a peanut in the deep folds of her seat when we flew a couple of years ago. The flight attendant was shocked, they had stopped serving peanuts over 2 years prior. Airplane cleanup is not exactly stellar from a food allergy perspective.

I think older children and adults can handle being in an environment like an airplane and manage the risk decently well. But a toddler? Or an undiagnosed kid with no epi-pen?

I used to lead canoe trips in the Canadian wilderness. Inner city kids, most had never seen a bee, much less been stung by one. A kid on one of my trips had an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, 25 miles by foot and canoe from the nearest road. No epi-pen. My co-staff had one for his allergies, a fact I thank God for on a regular basis. And it was still touch and go (the kid needed a second dose and we didn't have one).

All that to say I have really, really strong feelings on stuff like this.

Perhaps my Canadian genes are not as attached to individual freedoms as here in the US, but I think that restricting people flying from eating peanuts for a few hours is hardly a huge dent in their personal freedoms. And I believe the comments on that page are exactly why it takes the government to regulate this kind of action. Seriously - would you want to be sitting next to some of those commenters on an airplane, peanuts in their hand, with your food allergic child? I guess I see one of the good points of government as their ability to somewhat regulate the behavior of morons .

[LauraLoo]

I am also not going to read the link.

My ds is ana to peanuts. He has never shown an airborne reaction before, but we flew this past Feb. on an airline that serves peanuts and even though he was not eating the peanuts, he started to show allergic signs -- itchy skin and some blotchiness on his face. We administered Benedryl and kept a close watch. He has *never* shown a reaction just being in the vicinity of peanuts - and we've flown multiple times before this incident, gone to baseball games, eaten in cafeterias, etc.

I'm not sure what is different now than even a year ago when we flew. Is it possible that because we have flown on airlines that serve peanuts (and all that recirculating air) that he continued to be sensitized to peanuts to the point that we now have to worry about airborne sensitivity?

[PancakesMancakes]

I could be a bit out there, but I think that peanuts should not only be banned from planes, but grocery stores as well. My bff's cousine had a severe reaction at the Piggly Wiggly because a bag of peanuts was opened in the nut aisle Peanut allergies are getting more and more common and lifethreatening. We have to put our feet down and do something about this. Peanuts (and peanut products) should only be sold via mail order!

[TanyaS]

Originally Posted by PancakesMancakes

Peanuts (and peanut products) should only be sold via mail order!

What happens when the mailman delivers my peanut order that had peanut oils on the box from handling at the manufacturer and then reaches in his bag for your mail that your child likes to bring to you every day? I think banning it from stores is a bit excessive.

However, I do think that it is perfectly reasonable that airlines no longer serve peanuts.

[lnitti]

I did not read the article.

my dd is (most likely) ana to peanuts. She has other food allergies too (ana or not, who knows).

Even if the airline did not serve peanuts (or other allergens), there is nothing to stop people from bring their own on the plane.

I don''t feel it is fair to other people to change their eating habits to cater to my dd. I just try to clean everything, and hope that she will be ok.

disclaimer - We do not fly that often, maybe once a year or so. Also dd has never had an allergic reaction without touching the food (i.e. some people react through the air to peanuts I think).

[dollyanna]

I kind of can't believe they haven't banned them already.

I react to airborne shellfish, but luckily I don't have to be trapped in a seafood restaurant in order to fly.

Let's see... forgo peanuts for a FEW HOURS or potentially cause someone else harm... who is the selfish one?

[mouso]

We have no peanut allergies but frankly I couldn't believe it when they served me peanuts when we flew in February! I hadn't gotten peanuts in years.

Yes, I like peanuts and all but I think the fact that it's a fairly common allergy that often is life-threateningly severe` and you are on a tube of recirculated air with no access to medical help is reason enough to stop serving them.
People can live the 2-12 hours of flying without them in order to be considerate to others! And this is coming from someone who eats peanut butter every day.

[Marnica]

Personally I could care less about if I have peanuts on my flight or not. I would happily give up my 8 whole peanuts that you get in those teeny tiny bags if it meant a person could fly with piece of mind.

HOWEVER this brings up the rights of lots of people with allergies to other things and it gets into the whole personal freedom thing. For example. I have a co-worker who has severe allergies to perfumes. So what about those people? Should they ban all people from wearing any type of cologne or perfume when they fly??

[SpottedFoxx]

They can ban peanuts being given out but they really can't ban customers bringing them on board. I'd imagine anyone with a child with a peanut allergy or an allergy themselves would always have access to an epi. You just never know what you are going to touch.

Some airlines are very allergy sensitive. My friend was traveling cross country and has an airborne allergy to a number of things (perfume is a biggie). She is also has idiopathic anaphalaxis so she doesn't even need a trigger to react.

They put her at the front of the plane, had her board last but made a few announcements prior to the flight that if you are bringing on xyz, please do not open it as it will cause a reaction. They also requested that if people were wearing a scent, if they could wash it off prior to boarding it would be greatly appreciated.

She saw several people go to the bathroom to wash up. People saw her with her mask (honeycomb mask for those interested in blocking airborn allergens) and were very kind.

[JaneS]

FAAN's response to DOT was very good I thought:
http://www.foodallergy.org/page/dot-proposal

However, DOT put the whole thing on hold b/c they said peer reviewed studies (lots of money to fund) are needed to show it's a problem first! I smell a rat.

[LauraLoo]

Well, I sent my comments to DOT. Not exactly the peer review they're asking for, though.

I smell a rat, too.