Peanut Allergy Death

Sandra - posted on 04/08/2013

hey i have a daughter who is allergic to peanuts as well and it is always scary when giving her snacks or food that i did not make myself. you never know where it is made and there can be nuts in the vicinity. i found this great place that is run by two moms that makes snack, cookie brownies ect in a no nut environment you should check it out plus they actually taste really good. this is the website if you want to check it out. www.nonutnation.com

Teresa - posted on 05/16/2012

Yeah ok so my son came home with a bee sting,swollen finger and all. He;s fine, but a little girl in this area died at school from a bee sting because she was allergic and had no epi pen, and for some reason the school didn't either. It was sad, sad. SO how are we going to ban bees?

Robin Jane - posted on 05/16/2012

They are doing something to the peanuts, I know alot of adults that are allergic to peanuts in Canada but not allergic to them in their native country the Philllipines.

Shawnn - posted on 05/16/2012

Ok, I have to agree that if the school is going to ban one possible food allergen, then it needs to ban ALL possible food allergens.

Because, while a fatal allergy to, say, strawberries isn't as common as peanuts, it can still occur, and be just as fatal.

Just because other allergies are "more common", such as dairy, gluten, fruits, veggies, etc doesn't indicate that anaphylaxis cannot occur, just that it is less common.

But, whatever happened to personal responsibility? When I went to school there were kids allergic to various things. They knew what they were allergic to, and knew to ask about ingredients. Heck, I'm allergic to watermelon, have been my entire life, and I didn't have a qualm about saying "no, thank you, I'm allergic" when offered, or picking it out of the fruit salad, or whatever. Granted, a 5 YO needs help recognizing their triggers, etc, but as they get older, it's part of life, and they're going to have to do it for the rest of their lives, so why not start now? Why is it considered bad for people to have personal responsibility for their conditions?

My son had a gal in his class, was allergic to EVERYTHING under the sun. Foods, animals, I think possibly even humans, some times...but seriously. Everything! She had to wear a mask when we brought the dog for show/tell (which I wouldn't have done, had I known she was allergic), and it broke my heart. She SO wanted to play with that dog, but knew she couldn't. She carried her own epi pen, to and from school each day, gave it to her teachers when she got there, and picked it up when she left for home. This 3rd grader could manage her own allergies very well. There was only one time we had to use the pen, we were at a tour of some facility, and they offered the kids cookies...Kiddo asked if there were any of her triggers in teh cookies, and was told "I don't think so, but not sure", so she tried one...not a good thing, it was manufactured in a place that packaged peanuts, and she went into shock.

But, my point is, SHE managed her own allergies. The SCHOOL did not, nor did her parents expect the school to do so.

With younger kids, daycares, etc, that's different. Because you can't always keep a 2 year old from touching others until they wash their hands, etc...better to just not allow the allergens.

Robin Jane - posted on 05/16/2012

Yes my kids school has a ban on peanuts as well. I hear quite a few parents complaining about it if their kids aren`t the ones who are allergic. Simply un-believable.
It was never a problem in the 1960`s or 70`s when I was a kid.
I believe that this peanut allery problem all started when the company Monsanto and maybe some others started playing around genetically with the foods that grow,ie.: veggies ,berries, peanuts...
A big problem in Canada and the USA.
People who are allergic to peanuts in these places won`t necessarily be allergic to the peanuts lets say for instance in the Phillipines . This is a fact.
The Government continues to allow this company to grow and sell it`s somehow genetically altered seeds, It`s strange how someone hasn`t already researched to find out why peanuts have become deadly since at least the 1970`s. I say we as parents must do that research, and try to stop whatever is causing the once wonderful peanut (that used to be harmless to practically all children at least in Canada, ) to become such a tiny death sentence.
Something has got to be done about it now, today.

Aleks - posted on 01/31/2012

@ Rebecca Three

may be its something to do with the pesticides that they are using these days???

As for gluten, I have read in a local parenting magazine that the wheat we use these days (at least here in Aust, can't speak for other countries) has got something like *7 TIMES* the gluten that our grand or great-grand parents used in the 1920s!!!!! So yeah! Things have changed for sure.



Now on topic.

If a child has such a severe allergy to peanuts (or anything else for that matter) that just touching it makes them react then banning that offending item won't necessarily make them any more safer. Like I said in my earlier post (again, please re-read or just read), my kid having eaten pb toast for breakfast and not washing their hands (being a kid and all, and rushing cause they are late, etc etc) or just finishing eating a cereal containing nuts, etc... spilled on their shirt.....



Again, if I were to be notified by the school that there is a child in my child's class suffereing extreme allergy to a substance (any substance) and they will be banning it, then I have no issue with it and will be more than happy to oblige. I don't like BLANKET bans. Just because there is a tendency for peanut allergies to be more common, but like I stated earlier, at my childs kinder, there was a few peanut allergies, HOWEVER, it so happened that these were not severe, and INFACT there was a lot more kids with allergies to other things and a lot more severe than the peanut allergies (there was a blanket ban for peanuts at the kinder, however, the substances to which a few kids did have severe allergy to were not. This to me was RIDICULOUS). This is the reason I don't like blanket bans. Each school/kinder should be able to make a decision which foods it NEEDS to ban, if it deems fit to.

Caitlin - posted on 01/30/2012

Thats a heck of a lot of peanut butter! We use roasted soy nut butter here - like it WAY more than sunbutter..

Sherri - posted on 01/30/2012

Yes Rebecca we have some in the house now. I just can't afford it very often because it is $6 for it vs, $2 for peanut butter and we go through a jar a week.

Isobel - posted on 01/29/2012

peanuts were one of the first widely used GMFs, Wheat number two (anybody with a gluten problem?)

Rebecca - posted on 01/29/2012

Ever hear of Sunbutter, Sherri?

Rebecca - posted on 01/29/2012

Rebecca: I've heard that it's the roasting that makes them more allergenic. Almost all peanuts in the US are roasted. Not sure if it's true or not, but I can tell you that I never have a problem being around people shelling peanuts at baseball games, but I can't sit next to someone opening a can of Planters. Instant migrane.

Caitlin - posted on 01/29/2012

I've heard they messed a bit with the peanuts to make the crops more resistant to blights and fingus and such but I have NO idea if that's true.. and i'm too lazy to research it, lol..

Rebecca - posted on 01/28/2012

It's posts like this that make me think, WTF are they doing to peanuts these days to make them so lethal?



Seriously, I used to eat peanuts when I was a kid...no problem. Now, if I eat them I get migraines. My husband is the same only his mouth swells. Neither of us ever had this when we were young.



They have done some messed up stuff with the mass production of that particular nut.



Off topic..but still, I think that is crazy.

Jodi - posted on 01/28/2012

But you don't go to school. I can't see why YOUR diabetes has anything to do with what your children take to school. My husband has diabetes too, but his diabetes doesn't dictate what the rest of us can and can't eat. Dips can be homemade too. Anyway, this is a pointless debate with you, because you are allowed peanut butter in your school, but I am simply making the point that peanut butter is not a necessity, and that IF they brought in a ban, it's not that big a deal.

Sherri - posted on 01/28/2012

Well because of my diabetes and the protein in p'nut butter we tend to stick to p'nut butter as I can't eat dips because of the sugars and carbs in them.

Jodi - posted on 01/28/2012

Homemade cakes and cookies aren't necessarily junk, but anyway.....I'm seeing a pattern here. It's not like peanut butter is a necessity. All those things go nicely with a French onion dip too....

Sherri - posted on 01/28/2012

I don't send them with prepackaged stuff but we do apples and p'nut butter, celery and p'nut butter, carrots and p'nut butter, crackers and p'nut butter, p'nut butter granola bars.



We are not allowed to send homemade cake or cookies as our schools are 100% junk free and if we were to send those things they are confiscated and thrown away.

Jodi - posted on 01/28/2012

In addition to the type of allergic response, there is also a difference between an allergic reaction to something ingested, and an allergic reaction to the slightest touch or inhalation......many children allergic to peanuts can react by even TOUCHING the stuff, or sitting beside someone eating it because they can SMELL it. Does the broccolli allergy do that? Does simply touching a bell pepper cause an anaphalactic response?



Peanut allergies are also by FAR one of the most common food allergies there is. This is why peanuts are generally banned and not all these other ones. It is much more common than many people realise.



And really, it's not THAT hard to provide the children with peanut free snacks. Stop sending them to school with pre-packaged shit and it wouldn't be an issue. Fruit, vegetables, homemade cake or cookies, popcorn.....it's better for them anyway.

Mary - posted on 01/28/2012

In reading a lot of these anti-ban responses, I am just beyond grateful that my child, thus far, does not appear to have any allergies. I'm even more grateful that I live in an area where the schools will, if needed, enact a ban to protect those who do.



To those of you who say things like, "My kid is allergic to broccoli, apples, or shrimp (or whatever)"....is it only if they ingest this food? Is their allergic response true anaphylaxis, requiring use of an epi-pen followed by hospitalization if they even just touch a table that had some broccoli sitting on it? IF not, then please understand that mentioning this allergy in this discussion is completely irrelevant. The fact that your kid might vomit or get hives only if they eat that green pepper is not what we are talking about at all.



As to those of you who say things along the lines of "It's the parent's responsibility to teach the child" or "Those dangers are out there in the 'real' world"...well, yes, you are right. BUT....



I have been teaching my 3 y/o about safely crossing the street since she started walking. She's actually pretty good about it now. However, that does not mean that I think that when she is 5 or 6 that I will fully trust her to cross the street by herself. In my area, it is a reasonable expectation that the county provides crossing guards at those intersections around the elementary schools at times when the kids are walking to and from.



Kids should absolutely be taught about how to avoid the dangers around them, be it allergens, scissors, crossing the street, or avoiding strangers. I just don't think that it is evenly remotely reasonable to assume that they are always going to be unfailingly vigilant about it, or always even capable of recognizing the dangers around them. Just because I've taught my kid how to swim does not mean that I should leave her unattended in the backyard pool when she's 7. Putting an educated peanut-allergic child in a school lunch room full of pb&j sandwiches is pretty much the same thing to me.

Sarah - posted on 01/27/2012

I don't think people would necessarily against the bans per se if there is a genuine risk to a child's life in their classroom, but the real question is, "where does it end?" How could a school reasonably ban ONLY peanuts, when there are severe anaphylaxis to other stimulants? Maybe if they got a list at the beginning of the year and banned all risky stimulants. Personally though, I don't know what I would pack my kids if I got a list that said I couldn't pack peanut products, dairy, shellfish, fruits, veggies (my daughter is allergic to bell peppers), soy, wheat, eggs, gluten products, whey, anything with food dyes, etc. Oh, and you can't use certain soaps, shampoos, etc. because it could aggravate someone's allergies or asthma. Really I'm not debating the severity of anaphylaxis, I suffer from it myself. I had a full cardiac arrest from it and am very lucky to be alive at all. What I'm arguing is that you can't ignore that many children are at risk at any given time. You can't reasonably expect another parent to take responsibility for protecting your child when it's your responsibility to teach them to avoid their allergen. I would, however, support a ban in specific classrooms if the allergy (to any stimulant) is so severe that merely sensing it in the air can cause anaphylaxis. In general though, I think that kids need to learn (and are capable of at very young ages) to learn how to avoid their allergy stimulant and what foods it can be found in.

Brittany - posted on 01/27/2012

While I do believe that a peanut ban might be a bit drastic, I do also believe that schools do not take enough steps to help those who do have allergies.



My oldest is in Kindergarten and he is a peanut butter fanatic. Almost everyday he takes a PB&J, or PB and Marshmallow or PB crackers. That is what he really really enjoys. He also like those Nature Valley Peanut Butter bars.



He also has a child in his class room that has a mild allergy to peanuts. Nothing too serious (or deadly) but, I have asked Coaleb not to sit by him during lunch, to wash his hands twice after lunch and not to offer the child anything out of his lunch box. I have backed snacks for the children in his class and I have made a special batch just for the child and hand delivered it to them.



All parents should take a little more time to find out about the allergies the other children in you child's class might have.

Karla - posted on 01/26/2012

As a side note, I believe the "funny" is for things that are legitimately funny, not for "odd" or "Wow" or any kind of sarcastic "funny."



(Me acting like a moderator.)

Vegemite - posted on 01/26/2012

I don't beleive I refered to anyone and reprimanded them. I just made a statement about an observation.

Sherri - posted on 01/26/2012

I never said it was a joke. I thought it was funny you think it is your place to reprimand other adults.

Vegemite - posted on 01/26/2012

Can you point out the joke.

Vegemite - posted on 01/26/2012

The self centered nature of people continue to amaze me. What is the problem? Do their kids only eat peanuts, is there nothing else for them to take to school? If your school has a ban on a particular food there has to be a good reason. Take it like an adult, don't complain and don't take the food. Really it's not that hard to take others into consideration.

Caitlin - posted on 01/25/2012

Yeah, I've been super busy with the baby.. He's at that super clingy demanding stage which is not aided by the fact we were in the hospital 2 days 2 weeks ago for a serious case of gastro.. oh boy it's been a rough ride with this one!!

Mary - posted on 01/25/2012

Caitlin - I was hoping you would eventually see this thread!

Caitlin - posted on 01/25/2012

I'm late in on this - as usual. As a mom with a child with multiple food allergies, I dont think a ban on everything is reasonable unless there are grounds to do so.



By the way, for all of you distinguishing between ANAPHYLACTIC and OTHER food allergies, even to the same food, a reaction can be completely different each time a person is exposed (my daughter had 3 exposures to egg, all 3 were different reactions (all in the anaphylactic range)..



My 3 year old "gets" that she is allergic to foods, but for her, she has a harder time with it, because it's not just peanuts that aren't safe, it's peanuts, dairy, egg, sesame and beef. She forgets the list of things, and dairy means a lot of things, people don't tend to say, spaghetti with dairy sprinkled on top in a tomato sauce mixed with ground beef.. It's just called spaghetti.. Its a tough concept to a preschooler or elementary schooler for sure. Also, they add whey powder to a ton of things that aren't dairy, like hotdogs and margarine.. Crazy really..



Use of an epi-pen isn't as a lot of people think.. It's not "here is your injection, now go back out onto the playgroud and play. An epi-pen can stall a reaction, but the kid still needs to be brought to the hospital for further treatment. For some kids they are in the hospital for days following a reaction on steroids and anti histamines to prevent the reaction from coming back, that's if they are lucky and aren't on a ventialator.



I agree with a peanut/nut ban, andw if it only that ban that exists when my daughter is old enough to go to school, it will be a tiny bit less for me to worry about, but I will never stop worrying. Any educated allergic parent knows that it is only a means to reduce the possiblity of a reaction, not a sure-fire way to prevent one.



Kindergarden here starts at 5.. I know my daughter, no many how many times I tell her not to take food from others, if a friend tries to share her tasty looking cupcake with rainbow sprinkles, her better judgement is in doubt. After all, the ones mommy makes at home are safe, why wouldn't that tasty one be.. They don't posess the same reasoning capability as adults. They also can't read labels or understand that "albumin" means egg and that anything with "lactate" means dairy (possibly.. because there is a plant derived source for one of them ane the name escapes me at the moment proving exaclty how hard label reading can be).



If another child in my daughters class had a severe allergy to kiwi, I wouldn't send kiwi.. Not that hard - i'm protecting a young child from harm..



As for the epi-pens causing heart attacks in kids without allergies, I find that preposterous considering I have injected a 11 pound 4 month old with an epi pen and all it did was make her not sleep for a long time. In fact, the epi-pen is only contraindicated in case of a severe allergy to the preservative used in epi-pens and severe heart problems (in which case, the kid probably wouldn't be in school - I mean that severe). The most dangerous thing about epi-pen usage is if it is injected into a small extremity (like finger or kids hand) because it cuts off the oxygen supply - but with a trained staff on hand, that issue is nullified.



I have watched my daughter almost die - several times. Her first reaction to dairy at 4 months and her first reaction to peanut at 2.5. Even though I was a trained first aider and even a cpr/first aid instructor, I failed to recognize her first anaphylactic reaction at 4 months old for the severity that it was and was only by sheer dumb luck that I strapped her into the car seat to take her to the hospital and arrived about 30 seconds before her blood pressure dropped and she fell unconcious in my arms.



Her peanut reaction was scary because of it's speed - she was exposed tot he allergen, said her tummy hurt and less than 30 seconds later was grey and unconscious on my floor. Schools with the ban have them in place because with one teacher watching 30 + kids - that is DAMN fast to respond if there is an emergency while still ensuring the safety of the rest of the kids in her care. Any chance of minimizing that risk is worth it.



Also, because my daughter had her last severe reaction when she was 2.5 (to peanut) she doesn't remember. Hopefully I can protect her, but if she never experiences another reaction like those, the concept of "getting sick" from a food is a very abstract concept to a child. I anticipate (with my daughters personality) that she will have at least one major reaction after starting school, because she is a risk taker and doens't listen to mommy.. No matter how much I explain it, she doesn't truly "get it" and it will take going through it for her to smarten up. I can only hope (and do everything in my power) to make sure that the response to the reaction is swift and effective, because with her it's not so much a question of IF, but WHEN. (Just to note, she is "anaphylactic" to all her allergies.. not only to peanut).

Suzie - posted on 01/23/2012

No we should not ban nuts! My daughter has an alergy to some types of fruit and it is just as sever as nut should i expect parents to ban fruit at school or should i perpair my daughter and teach her that she can not have it. if we take away all the foods from school just because some children have alligies what are we going to feed our children when there away yes my four year old is aware of how sick she gets when she eates something she is allirgic to and nos not to eat it.

Rosie - posted on 01/21/2012

i don't agree with peanut bans either. i think if they want to ban peanuts they should ban other allergens too...but there are a whole list of those, soon there will be nothing left to eat.



peanut free zones are what would work. in this particular situation, the school didn't have an epi-pen. why didn't they? and why didn't the mother give them one? she had the reaction during recess..somebody could've had lunch over the weekend on the playground or something and gotten peanut residue on it, so even if the school itself was a nut free zone, what stops an outsider from playing on the playground who had peanuts, or from someone eating peanuts for breakfast? idk, i just don't think it's a very well thought out plan.

Amie - posted on 01/21/2012

"I just don't see why everyone keeps saying that if a child's life is at stake. If the school is taking precautions and has the allergic kids safe and never had a problem because they do take precautions, why the need for bans??



We have kids that are highly allergic and we still have never had a problem because the school is diligent without the need for any bans. So if it works for all the schools here why not schools everywhere? "





Sherri - no one said for a complete positive that a child's life is at stake. They said it COULD be. There is a difference.



I could ask the same thing of our school divisions. It's because peanut allergies are becoming such a wide spread issue. It's rare to walk into a school and not have at least one child who is severely allergic. Our sons school is the only one I've heard of in a long time that has not had to enact the ban.



Before the bans here, I didn't hear of children dying because of peanut allergies. It's still rare to find one that does. It's because of the precautions people take with the children, it's also because they are prepared for it from the time the allergy is found.



As another poster said - Something could still happen however, parents (and the children) do appreciate the effort that goes into the bans. They're not a means to inconvenience others - they're a measure to ensure safe schools and environments for children. Who are generally too young to do it entirely on their own yet.

Mary - posted on 01/20/2012

Amie - they do have them in America - at least in my state. It is done on a school-by-school basis, dependent upon the student population for any given year. To the best of my knowledge, it is only the elementary schools that do it, and it is only if they have children with the more severe degree of allergy, as documented by the child's physician (usually an allergist). It is pretty much exactly they way you describe it enacted in your schools.

Sherri - posted on 01/20/2012

In the US or our school the kids can bring in any snack they want homemade, store bought etc. and our labels are not that well marked it simply is listed in small print made in a tree nut facility. However, you really have to look for it. Not to mention most snacks bought in large quantities ingredients are listed on the box they came in not the individual wrappers so it would be virtually impossible to check for teachers.



I just don't see why everyone keeps saying that if a child's life is at stake. If the school is taking precautions and has the allergic kids safe and never had a problem because they do take precautions, why the need for bans??



We have kids that are highly allergic and we still have never had a problem because the school is diligent without the need for any bans. So if it works for all the schools here why not schools everywhere?

Jamie - posted on 01/20/2012

What I am gathering from this conversation is there are a lot of assumptions with the anti-peanut ban people.



Assuming no one will put in the work, assuming the parents will let their guard down, assuming that the child will have to at some point adapt, assuming that medication can stop an allergic reaction...



Assuming people are going to react a certain way doesn't mean that they will. I would rather take the chance than not try at all.



If a child has a life-threatening allergy I would hope people will find the importance in diligently attempting to prevent the reaction, including at school.

Doesn't mean they will, but why not at least try?



We are human beings for goodness sake, we should care enough about each other to take into consideration something that was brought to our attention. Especially if we can help.



I think by doing this and reading labels in consideration of other children we also will be showing our own children compassion and how to treat one another.



From my own experiences knowing parents of children with life-threatening allergies they appreciate the precautions, but do not change the way that their function. Their guard isn't dropped because someone was told not to bring peanuts....they just see it as one more step in protecting their child. They treat the environment the same as if there could potentially be peanuts (or whatever allergen) in the room.

Amie - posted on 01/20/2012

It also helps that parents take it seriously and don't mess around though.

Amie - posted on 01/20/2012

If the bans are in place, they have too. Our teachers have no more time on their hands but it doesn't take long to walk around a classroom of children and look at the snack on their desk. Lunch is the same, the teacher walks around and checks. It's easy enough to check, the nut free snacks have a red circle with a line through it to indicate it's safe.



It's rare that anyone is allowed to bring outside homemade snacks in as well. If a school does allow a parent to send home made goods it has to be pre-approved by the school or on the list of pre-approved goods.



Being too lazy to check isn't a good enough excuse when a child's life *could* be at stake.

Sherri - posted on 01/20/2012

I am not saying they don't have them I am saying no one would put that much diligence in making sure every single solitary snack wasn't. Not to mention no teacher here would go around and check every single snack to make sure it wasn't either since they don't have time. Snack time is only 10mins.

Amie - posted on 01/20/2012

Yes, they can Sherri. We can buy snacks for our children, here, that have clear labels that say "processed in a nut free plant". Again, maybe it's just something available here because it needs to be with our peanut bans. It is out there though.

Amie - posted on 01/20/2012

I’m curious if all the anti-peanut ban people are American or have never seen a peanut ban work effectively in a school.



I’m Canadian, our schools (in my area and province – I’m sure the others but I’m talking about my own experiences here) have had peanut bans for over a decade.



The kids are taught how to protect themselves. The schools are informed of the allergy and given the proper medications, as well as training (if it’s needed). We fill out paperwork at the beginning of the year (not just for kids with allergies) about what is acceptable medication to be given our children, etc. As well as waivers releasing the schools from liability IF proper procedures are followed and something still happens to our child. Any outside medication that is specific to a child must come from the doctor and have the label on it, with dosage, doctor’s name, etc. on it. Children with allergies are allowed to carry their epi pens with them if they’re old enough; the younger grades the teacher has it. The office also has a locked cabinet of all medication for every child in the school, from child specific to OTC.



Any food brought into the school that is not peanut free is confiscated. No ifs, ands or buts, it’s confiscated.



It’s because with peanut allergies (especially severe ones) the food does not have to be ingested, as with other allergies. Does that stop parents from giving their kids peanut butter at home? No, it doesn’t.



These bans typically take place only in elementary schools. High school students (depending on the schools) start when a child reaches 12 or 14 years of age. By that time these students are well aware of their allergy and know what to watch out for. They know how to read labels (better than many adults I’d wager) and know how to properly protect themselves. The parents still sign all the paperwork, the school and staff is still informed of the allergy. The school still has the extra epi pen.



Banning peanuts has not been an issue where I am. I don’t know why and I won’t speculate on it. If by making sure my children take peanut free snacks and are mindful of children with severe allergies means a child can make it through the day without a reaction or possible death, then I’m alright with that.



My kids still eat peanut butter. It’s one of their favorite sandwiches. They also know they cannot take or eat them at school. They know why they cannot, they’re ok with it.

Sherri - posted on 01/20/2012

That is the problem they can ban peanuts or tree nuts but they can't ban a child from bringing something in that has been processed in a plant that also processes peanuts or tree nuts. So really the safest thing is just have a peanut free table or peanut free area and let the other kids bring in what they are going too also. Also make sure all hands are washed before and after lunch with hand sanitizer as it is in our schools.

Michele - posted on 01/20/2012

Rebecca, you said a peanut-free zone is a reasonable accommodation for an adult in the workplace. I agree. I think it is a reasonable accommodation at a school also.



That said, I would also refrain from sending peanut butter (where obvious) if we were at a school with a child with that severe of an allergy. I would not go so far as to ban peanut butter from my child's toast in the morning. I also would not necessarily do exhaustive research on every single little thing that I send to school (i.e. may be made in a facility where peanuts are processed).

Rebecca - posted on 01/20/2012

Deborah -- medications may not be enough to save a child from an anaphylactic reaction, so it's not a miracle drug. It's nothing like being diabetic where you have a long reaction time, lots of time for intervention and an immediate response to intervention. Epipens don't save everyone.

Jamie - posted on 01/20/2012

Yes, Mary articulated it better than I could.



It would make sense to me that if the school was presented with the information that a child could die even with the slightest exposure to that particular substance there would be some kind of action (most likely a ban) involved



It isn't a cure-all for stopping allergic reactions, but it would definitely aid in prevention.



And if your child was really that allergic to something there would be other precautions one could take (example: not riding the morning bus)



Also bringing up the extent of a certain child's allergies at a PTA meeting would also make sense. Again, this may be my homeschooling mentality, but I consider a school like a closely knit community. Children and parents are going to be a part of that community for as long as the children attend school there. I couldn't imagine a parent not caring enough about other children in that same school to take out those deathly allergens in their child's lunchbox.



My nephew is allergic to practically everything, but most severely is peanuts. And they do have to take rather strict precautions.



At any party they attend the host will always put at the bottom of the invitation "no peanuts" they still don't eat the food, but they will feel safe enough to stand around it.



They let all of the sports directors know, and they in turn speak to the parents about the severity of his allergy.



this isn't saying that all parents have to do this, but it is important to them when their child is at this age. Children are so hands-on with each other. That is why it differs from adults as far as strident precautions are concerned.

Rebecca - posted on 01/20/2012

Wow. What a shocking lack of compassion, Crystal. Do you understand you are talking about another person's child dying? DYING.



I don't think anyone here has limited this debate to peanuts (other than the people who seem to think kids with allergies have no right to live apparently). Any substance that a child has an anaphylactic reaction to should be banned from schools.

Rebecca - posted on 01/20/2012

Actually, an adult with a severe allergy to any food in the workplace would be entitled to protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act because having a peanut-free zone is certainly a reasonable accommodation. Sad that we give more protection to adults than to vulnerable children.

Crystal - posted on 01/20/2012

Think about it this way.... What happens when they are no longer 5 but 25, not 10 but 30... Will there boss put a ban and say no one coming to work, can eat or bring it in?



Will stores stop stocking them? Or on Saturdays make sure the free samples they give out are allergy free.



At what part do you say its OK for 1.1% of the American public to determine what the other 98.9% do? It starts as just doing the young grades. K-4 or 5, And when that 5yr old hits 6th grade and has never learned that she has a Allergy, we ban it there too. And so on and so on. Next she is in 12th grade and our young adults are still not aloud to have it.



She graduates and gets a job. But wait Lil Betty's boss is not going to make SPECIAL rules for her. So here she is 19/20 and has no way to cope. If the parents would teach them when they are young they would grow up ready for the real world.

Mary - posted on 01/20/2012

No, you are not going to be able to protect them from every possible exposure, especially if there allergy is such that even the briefest of casual exposure can induce anaphylaxis. However IF a school is presented with one of these kids, I certainly think it prudent to minimize and reduce those risks as much as you possibly can.



I cannot speak for everyone, but I do know that personally would support banning any substance from a school if there was a child who had that level of severity to it. If the allergy is only triggered by ingestion, than I think a "special" table is fine. I think most people focus on peanuts because it it more of a widespread issue. More kids do have this allergy (of the more severe degree) than any other food. There just aren't the same numbers of kids out there who have anaphylactic reaction to a topical contact with shrimp or strawberries. You also have a lot more kids bringing peanut butter in their lunches than you do scallops or crab meat. That is why I believe there is more of a focus on peanuts than any other single food.



However, a peanut ban does not preclude a ban on other substances. I would equally support a ban on oranges if my kid had a schoolmate who could die if a drop of OJ landed on her. It's not just that I want to reduce the possibility of that kid being exposed - I also want to reduce the risk that my 6 or 7 y/o might have to witness something as traumatic as a classmate going into anaphylaxis or dying in front of her. Can I completely prevent the odds of it happening? No - but I do know that I can decrease those chances by keeping whatever food it is out of the school, when that child's parent cannot be there to protect them.

Denikka - posted on 01/20/2012

"However, I know of children going into anaphyactic shock because other children had were speaking closely next to each other and their breath set off the reaction."



So Jamie...what about the kids who ate peanut butter at breakfast and are talking to the allergic kid on the bus? Or first thing at school.

There's the slippery slope right there. Should kids also be banned from eating peanuts within a certain time frame of going to school? And HOW would you enforce that?



And as I mentioned before, why is it that so many people are so up in arms about PEANUTS. If it were lethal allergens, right across the board, I could understand more. But no one (the schools etc) is talking about a strawberry ban if there's a kid allergic to strawberries. Or shellfish. Or any OTHER allergen that is just as deadly.



This is a theme that is not just here. I have talked to multiple people after reading this article and this thread. No one here has said as much, but some of the people I have talked to irl have been FOR a peanut ban, but have decided that an allergen ban is too much. That it infringes on their children's rights to eat certain products. WHY is that the case? WHY is the life of the kid who's allergic to peanuts more important than the kid who's allergic to strawberries or shellfish?? I've asked and no one has been able to give me a satisfactory answer beyond *peanut allergies are more common* or *kids don't really NEED to eat peanuts* or *companies are going more peanut free anyways, why not everywhere?*.



If a kid is so allergic to a product that they can die just by getting breathed on, you have a lot more problems than some kid eating a pb sandwich a few seats down. You are never going to be able to forsee every circumstance. And you can't expect the whole world to cater to your childs allergy. Should allergens be banned at daycares? At play groups? At kids sports events?

That's why each child should be taught about their allergy. Adults around the child should be made aware of the allergy. And reasonable precautions should be taken (no food sharing, proper hand washing, etc)

But as Denise Chauvin posted in another thread;

"If we do this, we are actually providing a false sense of safety, as there is no guarantee that a child will not have something with them that has the allergen on it. Kids need to learn to be careful if they have allergies."



Just because a ban is in place doesn't make the kid safe. But it DOES allow them to let down their guard. And when you are THAT allergic, letting down your guard is not something you can EVER afford to do.

Aleks - posted on 01/20/2012

Mary, I don't believe that so many don't want a ban on "any" substance. What most of us are arguing is the stance chosen by some and that is: Ban peanuts.

I guess what we are concerned about is:

1. that its ONLY about peanuts.

2. How do you go about enforcing this ban??? (pls read my prior posts)

3. How much further does one need to go regarding this, ie,

(i) do we ban all the offending products (that would pretty much ban food at school in general) or do we,

(ii) just ban the specific items a child/ren at the *particular* school are allergic to at that given time

4. What liability should there be in place (and who pays for it) if a child does in fact die if there is a ban in force?

5. How does the school monitor /enforce this ban?



Things aren't as clear cut. Also, answeres to these questions will vary from country to country, as well as the different states/county within those countries, or even possibly local government levels.



Personally, I wouldn't have a problem if my child's school banned (insert allergen here) if a child attending the school had a severe and atopic and not just ingestetional allergy to this item. I am sure most parents would not. But blanket bans are .... well..... illogical. IMO