Nut Allergy
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Nut Allergy
What's all this I cant eat my own pretzels on a flight that somewhere amongst the assembled 385 pax there is someone who may have a nut allergy ??? Surely its their problem, not mine??? EpiPen anyone.....
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Whilst most allergies these days are just trends and fads (bordering on the ridiculous sometimes), nut allergy suffered do get my sympathy as they can fall ill due to particles in the air. A cabin air moves around the cabin and air is moved by people moving throughout the cabin then it can travel several rows.
For the safety of the sufferer and the airline's bottom line, I'm more than happy to prohibit the sale of any items that may result in a serious medical and or diversion.
For the safety of the sufferer and the airline's bottom line, I'm more than happy to prohibit the sale of any items that may result in a serious medical and or diversion.
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Diesel 10
I was on a flight with BA some years ago from Boston to LHR and was told by cabin crew there would be no nuts served with pre dinner drinks as some where down the back there was a child with a nut allergy. This has been my only experience of this while flying as most airlines have either mixed nuts etc on-board in my experience. In fact some make a feature of this, American Airlines from memory did serve hot nuts as a signature thing in Business as do a number of mid East and Far East carriers.
As for the people who suffer with this I am surprised it is not a bigger issue just because of the quantity of nut related by products used in the world now in all manor of things.
Must go and have G&T with EK now, with some hot Cashews !
Regards
Mr Mac
I was on a flight with BA some years ago from Boston to LHR and was told by cabin crew there would be no nuts served with pre dinner drinks as some where down the back there was a child with a nut allergy. This has been my only experience of this while flying as most airlines have either mixed nuts etc on-board in my experience. In fact some make a feature of this, American Airlines from memory did serve hot nuts as a signature thing in Business as do a number of mid East and Far East carriers.
As for the people who suffer with this I am surprised it is not a bigger issue just because of the quantity of nut related by products used in the world now in all manor of things.
Must go and have G&T with EK now, with some hot Cashews !
Regards
Mr Mac
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Your average airliner has flown thousands of flights and had tens of thousands of people eating peanuts on board. Each of them has probably dropped a few nuts which will have been ground into the furnishings. But these appear not to count. Also, the meals that were prepared using groundnut oil appear not to count. Nor do the carrot cakes containing nuts, smuggled on board by homicidal members of the public. Yet little Johnny will pop his clogs if I eat peanuts on the same flight? Now if that is a threat to that person's well being then they must not use public transport.
For the safety of the person suffering the allergy and my airline's bottom line, I am more than happy to deny them boarding. Not being medically qualified I am unable to state that anybody suffering any sort of chronic allergy will be safe on board my aircraft. Anyone could crush nut remanants and these would be dispersed rapidly by the aircraft's air conditioning system. Therefore, purely in the interest of the safety of sufferer I'd suggest their traveling needs will only be met by private transport.
PM
For the safety of the person suffering the allergy and my airline's bottom line, I am more than happy to deny them boarding. Not being medically qualified I am unable to state that anybody suffering any sort of chronic allergy will be safe on board my aircraft. Anyone could crush nut remanants and these would be dispersed rapidly by the aircraft's air conditioning system. Therefore, purely in the interest of the safety of sufferer I'd suggest their traveling needs will only be met by private transport.
PM
Its unlikely that serving nuts would cause problems but the chance is still there. At 38,000ft crews generally don't want to take that risk, epi pen or no epi pen, because ultimately it is they who have to deal with it should anyone have a severe reaction. It's not nice for the crew and it's certainly not nice for the casualty when they are miles away from an hospital. I'm speaking from experience.
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Whilst dead heading to the West Coast a few years back I was handed a bag of nuts by the cabin crew, on the package there was a warning, "caution, contains nuts", problem solved!
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When I was crew, although trained to deal with most things I always found avoidance was the best policy. Just because I know how to do not mean I want to have to perform CPR.
Medicals are not pretty, and if it means someone can't eat nuts for a couple of hours then so be it. The amount of people who eat nuts every day and who will be inconvenienced must be miniscule. Not to mention the paperwork and inconvenience of a divert too potentially.
There must be a risk. Didn't FR recently have an incident of a pax eating nuts causing an anaphylactic shock a couple of rows away despite several PAs to say not to, so much so for FR to ban said pax for two years.
I do think it is important for airlines (I'm thinking UA?) who warn pax that they cannot guarantee a nut free environment. Covers their back I suppose. Who can blame them, especially when you operate within the US and US-UK?
Haha. Yeah 'may contain nuts' on a a packet of nuts or 'caution may be hot' on a coffe cup - what a world we live in.
Medicals are not pretty, and if it means someone can't eat nuts for a couple of hours then so be it. The amount of people who eat nuts every day and who will be inconvenienced must be miniscule. Not to mention the paperwork and inconvenience of a divert too potentially.
There must be a risk. Didn't FR recently have an incident of a pax eating nuts causing an anaphylactic shock a couple of rows away despite several PAs to say not to, so much so for FR to ban said pax for two years.
I do think it is important for airlines (I'm thinking UA?) who warn pax that they cannot guarantee a nut free environment. Covers their back I suppose. Who can blame them, especially when you operate within the US and US-UK?
Haha. Yeah 'may contain nuts' on a a packet of nuts or 'caution may be hot' on a coffe cup - what a world we live in.
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I would hazard a guess that if someone has a severe nut allergy 9/10 we won't hear about it as crew, or if we do hear it's normally because we go to serve nuts to pax seated next to them, they then decide to speak up once the whole aircraft is eating...
I remember flying with a senior once who insisted we read the labels of every product and didn't serve even those with traces of nuts. We could hardly give out any food under that ridiculous policy, the end result of one pretty annoyed bunch of pax.
I remember flying with a senior once who insisted we read the labels of every product and didn't serve even those with traces of nuts. We could hardly give out any food under that ridiculous policy, the end result of one pretty annoyed bunch of pax.
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Has anyone ever experienced this bizarre behaviour elsewhere in life, or is remote 3rd party nut allergy restricted solely to aircraft?
How do these people ever visit a supermarket, bakery, cinema, bus, train or have any contact with the nut-ridden public in general?
Frankly I am sceptical that mere proximity to nuts could trigger anything because if it did these people would have to live in an isolation ward.
How do these people ever visit a supermarket, bakery, cinema, bus, train or have any contact with the nut-ridden public in general?
Frankly I am sceptical that mere proximity to nuts could trigger anything because if it did these people would have to live in an isolation ward.
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From personal experience:
I had a severe allergy to brazil nuts and white fish as a child - which thankfully I grew out of.
This had little effect on me as I avoided foods which contained nuts and fish.
In those days you bought what was advertised on the tin - so flaked almonds were flaked almonds and not peanuts are they (often) are today.
A relation of my father's had an acute allergy to brazil nuts - so much so that she was affected (mainly at Christmas) even walking into a room where brazil nuts were displayed. This level of allergy is, I understand, rare.
My daughter has a severe allergy to peanuts.
Her allergy is so severe that one peanut would kill her
This has been more difficult to control as peanuts and peanut oil/products are contained in many things ('flaked almonds'), which is not always apparent - especially if served out of their original wrapping.
She undertook a study as a small child - the doctors discontinued the study after her dose of peanut exceeded one eighth of a peanut as she was in so much discomfort.
When you've seen your daughter's eyelid coming away from her eyes and her choking, vomiting and at the point of passing out whist you wait for the ambulance it brings home to you the serious effect that allergies can have.
My daughter has always carried an Epipen, as have all the people with whom she has regular contact - relations, school etc.
Has this stopped my daughter travelling - no.
Does she have regular attacks - no.
She is careful and understands that she must avoid foods she is not sure of.
Accidents happen and I understand that the implications in flight could be serious (diversion). But she would not eat unknown foods in that situation so the risk is low.
Would people in other parts of the cabin be affected by peanuts elsewhere in the aircraft - yes, in very rare circumstances.
Should those people fly - ?
I had a severe allergy to brazil nuts and white fish as a child - which thankfully I grew out of.
This had little effect on me as I avoided foods which contained nuts and fish.
In those days you bought what was advertised on the tin - so flaked almonds were flaked almonds and not peanuts are they (often) are today.
A relation of my father's had an acute allergy to brazil nuts - so much so that she was affected (mainly at Christmas) even walking into a room where brazil nuts were displayed. This level of allergy is, I understand, rare.
Whilst most allergies these days are just trends and fads (bordering on the ridiculous sometimes)
Her allergy is so severe that one peanut would kill her
on the package there was a warning, "caution, contains nuts", problem solved!
She undertook a study as a small child - the doctors discontinued the study after her dose of peanut exceeded one eighth of a peanut as she was in so much discomfort.
It's not nice for the crew and it's certainly not nice for the casualty when they are miles away from an hospital. I'm speaking from experience.
My daughter has always carried an Epipen, as have all the people with whom she has regular contact - relations, school etc.
Has this stopped my daughter travelling - no.
Does she have regular attacks - no.
She is careful and understands that she must avoid foods she is not sure of.
Accidents happen and I understand that the implications in flight could be serious (diversion). But she would not eat unknown foods in that situation so the risk is low.
Would people in other parts of the cabin be affected by peanuts elsewhere in the aircraft - yes, in very rare circumstances.
Should those people fly - ?
Last edited by SpannerInTheWerks; 1st Oct 2014 at 11:47.
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SpannerInTheWerks
I fully understand. My daughter also has a severe nut allergy that necessitates the carrying of an EpiPen and all of our family being familiar with its operation.
I can fully understand how anyone who has never seen how an extreme allergic nut reaction can affect an individual believes it to be trivial.
My daughter avoids eating anything that cannot be guaranteed not to contain nuts. But, she lives with this, travels, and is extremely careful in unfamiliar environments.
Perhaps once a year she makes a 'small' mistake that causes swollen eyes and lips that necessitates action (usually antihistamines is enough....). It is real and not a pleasant thing to live with.
However I do have doubts that the reaction occurs through airborn nuts. In my experience, through my daughter, it is only through direct contact.
C
I fully understand. My daughter also has a severe nut allergy that necessitates the carrying of an EpiPen and all of our family being familiar with its operation.
I can fully understand how anyone who has never seen how an extreme allergic nut reaction can affect an individual believes it to be trivial.
My daughter avoids eating anything that cannot be guaranteed not to contain nuts. But, she lives with this, travels, and is extremely careful in unfamiliar environments.
Perhaps once a year she makes a 'small' mistake that causes swollen eyes and lips that necessitates action (usually antihistamines is enough....). It is real and not a pleasant thing to live with.
However I do have doubts that the reaction occurs through airborn nuts. In my experience, through my daughter, it is only through direct contact.
C
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However I do have doubts that the reaction occurs through airborn nuts. In my experience, through my daughter, it is only through direct contact.
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As someone suffering from (hazel-)nut allergy in a fairy mild form... consuming anything nut-contaminated is unpleasant to very unpleasant. It can be life-threatening to people more sensitive than me.
And breathing in dust can provoke an allergic reaction, but that will usually disappear quite quickly once the patient is able to breathe "fresh" (= allergen-free) air. And that is the problem with aeroplanes: there is no reasonable way to escape a dust cloud.
And breathing in dust can provoke an allergic reaction, but that will usually disappear quite quickly once the patient is able to breathe "fresh" (= allergen-free) air. And that is the problem with aeroplanes: there is no reasonable way to escape a dust cloud.
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Genuine question. Do but allergy sufferers ever wear face masks just in case? Or do they not filter the particles sufficiently. Just think it may help sufferers.
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I have had a couple of flights like this, I think its nanny gone mental.
I always take my own bag of nuts on board now as I have a pretzel allergy. I eat them in secret at night when the lights are out with my drink.
I always take my own bag of nuts on board now as I have a pretzel allergy. I eat them in secret at night when the lights are out with my drink.
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Do but allergy sufferers ever wear face masks just in case? Or do they not filter the particles sufficiently. Just think it may help sufferers.
Dust from the ground peanuts in the carpet will generally stay low... but opening parcels of peanuts and moving them around (hey, you want to eat them!) spreads dust at breathing height.
