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peanutmom2002

…or eyes. Since that proposal, according to the Food Allergy Initiative the latest data suggests that food allergies have actually TRIPLED between 1997 and 2008.
http://www.faiusa.org/?page=Nut_Allergies_on_the_Increase_Says_FAI_Study
That number is continuing to grow and affect families on a daily basis. My family is one of them, as we have been dealing with my son’s food allergies for many years. My son has never been to a live sporting event. Going to the circus caused hives on his face so we left immediately. He’s reacted when people around us are eating peanut butter cookies. Flying is extremely nerve wracking for our entire family and therefore we limit it as much as possible.
DOT wants to know how likely it is for a person with peanut allergies to suffer a reaction on a flight. That question is very difficult to answer. According to a recent study by the University of Michigan Division of Allergies and Clinical Immunology, 1 in 3 people that are reacting to nuts or peanuts are suffering from anaphylaxis, so it is happening. (Greenhawt, Self Reported Reactions to Peanuts and Tree Nuts Occurring in Schools and Child Care Centers, Restaurants, and Commercial Aircraft) If my child were to step on to an airplane (say Southwest) with no precautions taken I have no doubt he’d react. How bad would that reaction be? I can’t say because we’ve never let his reactions progress nor would we ever take that chance. Anaphylaxis is a tricky thing because one never knows at what point a reaction will stop or get worse. We take a number of steps to prevent any reactions from occurring- not just when we fly, but every day of his life. While its highly unlikely to have a reaction from smelling something, the chances of having an airborne reaction from the dust of peanuts going into your airways is highly likely, as is the chance that the dust from peanuts or residue from a PB and J sandwich from the passenger before you getting onto an allergic person’s seat and then onto that person’s hands and then into their mouth, nose or eye is also likely.
There are many plane trips we have not made because it is just too stressful to fly even when we do dose him with Benadryl, wipe down everything around us including the seat belt, cover the seat with a crib sheet, bring our own safe food, and an entire back pack filled with his epi pens (our health insurance is great and we can bring at least 4), Benadryl, inhalers, steroid creams (taking that through security is always fun), and his prescription strength antihistamines. Being prepared has certainly lessened the chance that he’ll have a reaction, but we have still had mystery hives while flying.
My son has missed out on many plane trips to fly to his grandparent’s house that he watches his sister take because it’s just too dangerous for him. We’ve driven over 5000 miles in the last year alone just to see family- taking 2 days of driving instead of 2 hours of flying.
As for having epinephrine onboard the plane, that is a great idea. I personally think everyone should carry epi pens because a person can become allergic at any point in their life to a myriad of foods, medicines, and animals. Epinephrine can be a lifesaver, but it isn’t always. If not given before the blood pressure drops there is no way for it to move throughout the body and stop the reaction. There are also cases where the epi pens fail. Once given, the injection may only last 20 minutes before the reaction can start again, only worse.
I would love for my son to be able to fly without a fear of going into anaphylaxis. I think that any steps that the DOT could take to lessen his reactions would be welcome. In the US, those who suffer from food allergies that can be life-threatening, including peanut allergy, may be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (S. 504) which does prohibit disability-based discrimination.
We currently try to fly only United because they only serve nuts in first class, but in some cases have had to fly other airlines as well. I have found out that if you make too big of a deal with American Airlines they won’t let you board the plane. I quickly downplayed my son’s allergies and hoped for the best on that flight.
A buffer zone won’t do a bit of good because the peanut dust can easily travel all over the plane. A person could eat a bag of peanuts and then open the restroom door. My son could then also open the restroom door, rub his eye and have an anaphylactic reaction. I think a ban of all peanuts and nuts (or at least peanuts) would be the safest route for those with peanut allergies. If there are going to be set rules, the easiest thing to do is ban all peanuts and peanut products from being brought onto planes. While this will inconvenience many people I am sure, it should be worth it if it saves even one life.

And to the poster above, yes, life threatening allergies ARE a disability. The definition of disability is:

For purposes of nondiscrimination laws (e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act), a person with a disability is generally defined as someone who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more “major life activities,” (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

Breathing is a major life activity.

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…href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12532119">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12532119

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8172359

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11642578

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11379811

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19232116

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16314475

Perhaps the DOT should work with FAAN using much of the above information or starting a study of their own to come up with an answer that will work for those with peanut/ nut allergies.
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