Nut allergies - would touching coco coir compost be a no no ?

[peridito]

Thinking of using this medium at a school to plant up seedlings .

But would allergies be a problem ?

Coconut isn't a nut

What Pixie said.

Thanks ,ah a fruit I guess .But ..an abundance of caution .

People with tree nut allergies don't have to be extra cautious with coconut. They aren't related.

You can be allergic to coconut separately. Or as well.

Really, what you should do is look it up yourself on the anaphylaxis campaign website. I always tell my dd to check herself rather than rely on other people for this information. People will just say anything!

Coconut allergy is uncommon, though there's been some growth in cases in recent years, probably related to the increased number of coconut products available now.

Studies have shown some cross reactivity between coconut and a number of other nuts (even though many are not nuts in the botanical sense). A study has also shown that children with tree nut allergies do not have an increased risk of coconut allergy though.The US FDA does class coconut as a tree nut for the purposes of food labelling (though some have contested this). I don't think it's considered a nut for labelling purposes in the EU.

So, I suppose, allergies could be an issue for a very small number. Children who are allergic to tree nuts don't seem to be at increased risk.

I have done my research @StitchInTimeSavesNine but I agree very much with the principle

@StitchInTimeSavesNine - you're absolutely right . I suppose I didn't stop to think whether there was a anaphylaxis website . But of course there is . Doh !