Is it reasonable to have all peanut foods banned from all kids lunches because of one child’s allergy?
My brother has severe nut allergies, and I have a cousin who died from eating a dish cooked in peanut oil, and another who almost died after eating a doughnut, so I know a bit about what people and their parents have to go through with nut allergies. But that said, children have to learn how to deal with these allergies, and creating a nut free zone is not, in my opinion, the way to do it.
I think part of the reason my cousin Mel died was because she never took her allergies seriously, she didn’t carry her epi-pen with her, and she wouldn’t have known how to use it if she had. She always asked what was in the food she ordered, and she relied on the waiters to know if a food was cooked in peanut oil. Which is what ended up killing her, her throat closed and she died in front of a restaurant filled with people, and no one could help her. When the paramedics arrived they didn’t even have an epi-pen on their bus (at the time ambulances in Ontario didn’t carry them, now they do I believe)
My other cousin Dave did carry an epi, and that’s what saved his life. He ordered a doughnut from a place he had eaten at many times before, and assumed it was safe. It had peanuts in it, and his throat closed. Fortunately he had his epi and he survived. He had to spend a couple of days in the hospital, but he made it.
My brother never eats out. Period. He carries his epi-pen, but even if he has to travel he either packs his lunch, or he goes grocery shopping. He has never had an allergic reaction since becoming aware of his allergies, but he is extraordinarily careful.
I don’t think there is any way to protect this child totally against peanuts in his environment, rather he needs to be taught how to avoid exposing himself to nuts, and what to do if he does have a reaction. I don’t think that banning peanuts is going to help any.
Is the child simply allergic to contact/ingestion of these products?
Holy Og. It is made to sound like anyone who has come in contact with nuts of any type must be decontaminated prior to entering his sphere of existence.
I daresay that if Billy can’t sit here and have his non-peanut lunch while Susie enjoys a PB&J several feet away, this child is way too frail to exposed to the rest of society.
No. It’s one thing to accomodate someone with special needs (such as a person in a wheelchair needing a ramp); it’s another when it requires that everyone else give something up as a result (like if they banned all stairs because there was a handicapped person in the group).
If your life is threatened by being around such common items, the burden is YOURS, not everyone else’s. Call me callous… I recognize that this kid can’t control his allergies. But neither can anyone else; should they suffer?
Yes. Mr. Peg has peanut allergies so I know that they can be very serious, but to make an entire school outlaw something that a child can pretty easily avoid is unreasonable to me. The mom should pack her child food that he can eat and tell the child what food he can or cannot eat.
Uh, I meant “Yes, it is unreasonable to have all peanut foods banned from all kids lunches because of one child’s allergy.”
Another vote for unreasonable.
What the hell is “Pod C”? I’m guessing they don’t play kickball and that “everyone is special”.
A case of one individual’s “rights” taking precedence over everyone else’s I think.
I suppose I should also say that I think said precedence is completely unreasonable.
I vote for unreasonable as well; however, my daughter is allergic to peanuts and I can understand from dealing with her allergies what this child suffers. An extreme sensitivity can be set off by just the aroma of the peanuts, apparently. I have not banned peanut butter in my house and the rest of us eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And my daughter complains about the peanut butter, but she hasn’t had a severe reaction simply from proximity to peanut butter.
I thought this was the norm now.
If one person has a problem, ban it from everyone else.
Sort of like the 1 in 100 who didn’t like smoke in bars.
Didn’t they determine that kids today aren’t exposed to enough barnyard substances, hench the nut allergies, or something like that? Another vote for unreasonable, although the school’s hands might be tied due to liability concerns…
D’Oh! I see Magayuk’s post and think mebbe there’s a genetic component as well.
It’s not just a matter of teaching the kids “do not share your food.” Many people can become very seriously ill if particles are in the air. Peanut products are completely banned from our workplace. And there are regular reminders, since my co-worker had to be whisked to the hospital after someone ate Pad Thaii in the boardroom.
You think she should refrain from being gainfully employed because we feel inconvenienced? Perhaps she should seal herself into her home and not leave ever. It’s not at all difficult to accommodate her allergy – and dear Og, the place would fall apart without her!
Google “allergies + the kiss of death.” My co-worker’s husband can ingest peanuts and kiss her on the cheak – that’s enough for her to have a reaction. So her hubby has to jump through hoops to make sure he’s “safe” if he suspects he’s consumed peanuts.
It is a serious allergy. And it’s one that’s easily accommodated.
This situation is being replicated across America, so we had better get used to it. My daughter’s kindergarten class has a child with a severe peanut allergy. Thus, we cannot pack any peanuts for snacks. The school claims that it has to accomodate kid’s legitimate special needs and I am sure they would be liable for huge sums otherwise.
At first I was more than annoyed, like many of the above posters. I then put myself in the position of the unfortunate child’s parents and quickly grew empathetic. I mean look, would you want to spend every day of the school year anxious that some other kid is going to facilitate your own kids’s demise?
So to answer the original query, it is reasonable because there are so many kids in this dire situation.
We are really dealing with symptoms here–why has there been such a significant increase in peanut-related allergies–not to mention autism–in kids?
I would say it’s somewhat unreasonable. Heck, this would be a good time for the kid to start learning how to avoid the foods he can’t have.
Even if the ban stays, this allergy sounds dangerous enough that he could be affected by contact with one of the kids who had peanut butter for breakfast or something, not even mentioning all of the places he’ll go that, you know, aren’t school.
I feel bad for the kid, but his only guaranteed peanut-free zone is probably going to be his house. He might as well get used to it and learn to protect himself.
If these allergies are genetic, the problem should solve itself if we stop being so touchy about protecting those with them. Evolution in action.
Maybe there hasn’t been an increase in the actual number of cases of peanut allergies. Perhaps it’s just that we’re becoming more *aware * of them. Child mortality in the past was higher than it is today. It’s quite possible that the cause of death in many severe allergy cases was never correctly determined.
I think it’s not quite so unreasonable for a while–after all, these kids are pretty young and might be apt to get “careless.” But I only want to give slack because of the kids’ age.
But when they are a little older, come on. Something’s got to give. The child with the allergy needs to be made acutely aware that it is his responsibility to protect himself. The rest of the world ain’t going to do it for him. Nor should they.
This link (as well as many others)
discusses food allergies including peanuts. I’ve googled a few of the peanut allergy sites and I haven’t been able to find anything referring to any triggers other than actual ingestion.
Do any of you that say that there is something “airborn” that would cause a reaction have a cite that I could refer to?