# Peanut allergies: Should extreme cases be permitted on commercial flights? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526 "2013-12-04T23:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/101 "2013-12-07T10:59:52Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I am currently on a flight from Denver to Baltimore, and they just announced that due to a passenger with severe peanut allergies, no free peanuts will be distributed. Furthermore, passengers are requested to refrain from consuming any food or snacks they brought on the plane that might contain peanuts or peanut products. > > Is it a reasonable request, or should passengers with an allergy refrain from public travel? What if I was a diabetic and had brought snacks that contained peanuts to regulate my blood sugar, or other condition that requires frequent dietary intake? > Whose needs should prevail? I say the peanut allergy should find another mode of travel that does not endanger his life (airplanes are probably loaded with latent peanut traces) and intrude on the needs of others. Please show proof of your claim that airplanes are loaded with with latent peanut traces to the extent of endangering the lives of passengers with peanut allergies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/102 "2013-12-07T11:55:31Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > What bears repeating is this: > > DO NOT TELL THEM YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS > > DEAL WITH YOUR REACTIONS IN A WAY THAT INCONVENIENCES YOU, AND NOT THE WORLD AROUND YOU > > GET A RESPIRATOR TO FILTER OUT ALLERGENS IF YOU ARE CONCERNED. ^ This. And I speak as someone with food allergies. Don’t bring it up unless it’s actually relevant. 99.999999999% of the time even if food is served you don’t need to say anything beyond “I don’t eat peanuts”. Damn few, if any, people are truly so allergic as to need to worry about airborne microscopic particles. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/103 "2013-12-07T13:43:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It’s been pointed out, but I think it bears repeating that the person with the allergy, or the parent of the person with the allergy, probably just told the flight attendant so their party weren’t served any nuts and the airline has a policy on making the announcement. Yes, the notification probably serves as a trigger for a corporate all-or-nothing CYA protocol. But OTOH I don’t think it should be pressed upon the families to closet away the allergy, especially when I’d find it reasonable to ask those in the seats immediately around them to refrain, and they’d need to explain why. > [@rsat3acr](#): > > had a similar situation with my daughter at school. At the meet the teacher night a week before class(for the entire fourth grade) a woman stood up and said that her triplets were alergic to peanuts and therefore not only could our kids not bring peanuts or peanut products such as peanut butter sandwiches to school but the couldn’t have them at home because they might still contaminate their desks with dirty hands. Mind you she told us didn’t ask us and said the whole grade not just her kids class. She didn’t like it when I pointed out that if her kids were that alergic they would probably already be dead by now and maybe she should homeschool them. These are the people who ruin it for those who would need \*reasonable \*accommodations. ---
**Author:** ![Emmy2635](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/919ad9/32.png) [@Emmy2635](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emmy2635)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/104 "2013-12-08T02:32:20Z")
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance recommends notifying the ticket agent & flight attendant, wiping off the seat and tray table and informing passengers in your area about the food allergy. If you think these things pose no risk to those with a peanut allergy, why are they recommending them? You know those restaurants where peanuts are everywhere - Logan’s or Texas Roadhouse, for example? Do you really think it would be safe to bring a peanut allergic child into one, as long as they don’t ingest them? ---
**Author:** ![MrDurden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed655f/32.png) [@MrDurden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDurden)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/105 "2013-12-08T03:04:48Z")
> [@Emmy2635](#): > > You know those restaurants where peanuts are everywhere - Logan’s or Texas Roadhouse, for example? Do you really think it would be safe to bring a peanut allergic child into one, as long as they don’t ingest them? Yup. If you have cite where someone has died from the mere presence of peanuts in some arbitrary radius, I’d like to read it. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/106 "2013-12-08T13:14:38Z")
> [@Emmy2635](#): > > The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance recommends notifying the ticket agent & flight attendant, wiping off the seat and tray table and informing passengers in your area about the food allergy. If you think these things pose no risk to those with a peanut allergy, why are they recommending them? > > You know those restaurants where peanuts are everywhere - Logan’s or Texas Roadhouse, for example? Do you really think it would be safe to bring a peanut allergic child into one, as long as they don’t ingest them? For nearly any possible condition, there is some kind of Alliance somewhere of Sufferers who want to advance Awareness and Prevent Death and/or Suffering. That they advance a putative suggestion, effective or neffective, is not some sort of evidence that such a suggestion is the best possible approach. The Alliance you reference suggests avoidance as the best possible strategy, and also wrapping up or freezing any food you might have had an allergic reaction to so you can get it analyzed and “report it to the manufacturer.” You should also report your reaction “to the appropriate government agency,” along with any product identifying code information, and of course keep written records of your allergy reactions and progress in getting your reaction appropriately documented. Don’t forget to discuss it with your doctor. \ _What the hell is wrong with people these days? Are they too stupid to simply decide they are allergic to something and avoid it?_ WRT to peanuts and airplanes, or peanuts in the public sphere in general: By far the best way to avoid getting exposed to peanuts is to protect yourself and to do this there is absolutely no need to inconvenience the public. Get respiratory masks of the grade you think are appropriate for you–go military grade if you like, or just a simple surgical mask. Wear full body protection of whatever covering you think is appropriate, such as gloves, long sleeves and the like. Get everything laundered as you see fit. Avoid restaurants. Never touch other people. Buy your food carefully, and read the labels.\* Whatever you think your need is for avoidance, have at it. The principle is simple: it’s YOUR allergy. YOU get to decide how severe it is and what you need to do to protect yourself. But you can achieve maximal protection without inconveniencing a single other individual. This is a fundamentally safest approach. Period. Beyond that, it lets the rest of us–who feel you are probably just indulging yourself in the secondary benefit that accrues to some personality types by having the world around them address their Special Need–from having to argue about it whether or not your exact situation is legitimate. \*The Alliance notes that many foods are now labeled as “may contain,” which makes them off limits to those suffering from peanut allergies. The implied concern is that a peanut allergy sufferer might actually have to be personally inconvenienced by avoiding a food not containing peanuts, causing the allergy sufferer actual deprivation. Well, duh…eventually every restaurant, food vendor and public venue will simply state that they are unable to guarantee a peanut-free zone. At that point the craze to get on board with the latest fashion in Specialness will disappear because more annoyance accrues to the Sufferer than the Public. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/107 "2013-12-08T14:09:28Z")
> [@Emmy2635](#): > > The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance recommends notifying the ticket agent & flight attendant, wiping off the seat and tray table and informing passengers in your area about the food allergy. If you think these things pose no risk to those with a peanut allergy, why are they recommending them? Probably because they’re speaking of a child too young to take responsibility for his/herself? Doing all that keeps other people from offering peanuts. A child capable of responsibility, or an adult, can simply refuse the offer of peanuts and/or check for peanuts in anything offered, or err on the side of caution and simply not eat or drink anything on a flight of a couple hours. > [@](#): > > You know those restaurants where peanuts are everywhere - Logan’s or Texas Roadhouse, for example? Do you really think it would be safe to bring a peanut allergic child into one, as long as they don’t ingest them? It depends on the severity of the allergy. NOT ALL ALLERGIES ARE EQUAL. Not everyone with a peanut allergy will go into anaphylaxis if happen to eat a fragment. Despite my peanut allergy I’ve been in a Texas Roadhouse, surrounded by peanut shells. I did some sneezing from time to time but nothing worse than that, and frankly dust of any sort will do that. This notion that everyone with a food allergy must be kept in an airtight bubble is overkill. It’s also pernicious because those Special Protected Snowflakes are going to grow up and find out the world is not going to continually accommodate them, they’re going to have to learn to protect themselves and keep themselves safe instead of relying on everyone else to maintain the Peanut Free Zone. I can see a rationale for stringent vigilance for a four year old. It’s not going to work for someone 25 in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/108 "2013-12-08T16:35:55Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t think asking 199 other passengers to refrain from eating nuts constitutes a reasonable accommodation. There are people who are on special diets as recommended by their physicians and nuts are a popular choice as a snack. My default snack when traveling is nuts, not peanuts, no, but the warning label on the package says they were processed in a facility that also processes peanuts. The reason I carry my nuts with me when I travel (ha ha) is so I know I have something I can snack on while adhering to my diet. Yes, that’s a good point. Nuts are a good way to get fat into your diet without eating processed food like potato chips. For a lot of people, it’s psychologically difficult to consume stuff like potato chips in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/109 "2013-12-08T16:45:23Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It depends on the severity of the allergy. NOT ALL ALLERGIES ARE EQUAL. Not everyone with a peanut allergy will go into anaphylaxis if happen to eat a fragment. Right. I think the question is that if someone comes up to the ticket counter and says “I need to inform you that my 5 year old has a severe peanut allergy. It’s a matter of life and death that all peanuts be removed from the plane in advance,” can the airline say “You know, if it’s that bad, she can’t get on the plane at all. So sorry. We can’t promise that level of vigilance, and frankly feel like it’s too much of an imposition on our other passengers. End of the day, there is a chance this flight will kill you, and that’s not happening on our watch”. So it’s not a matter of banning all allergy sufferers, it’s a matter of banning allergy sufferers who claim they can only safely fly if extraordinary precautions are taken. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526/110 "2014-02-15T17:29:35Z")
I was on a flight yesterday where they announced that due to a passenger with a peanut allergy, no peanuts would be served. I had already consumed three of a four-pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups earlier in the flight.\* So what do I do with #4? The package is already open and Deadly Peanut Molecules are wafting all over the place. Do I call the attendant for disposal, or eat the offending peanut butter cup? I ate it. Later, I noticed that the pretzels they were handing out in lieu of peanuts had a notice on the bag stating that they were made in a facility that also processed peanuts. So all those people who had pretzels were also dispersing micro-quantities of peanuts around the plane (in addition to all the peanut molecules left behind from previous flights). Despite these grave hazards, no deaths ensued. What a farce. \*it is well established that Reese’s peanut butter cups are a healthy lunch when traveling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-allergies-should-extreme-cases-be-permitted-on-commercial-flights/675526.md?page=5)