AIBU to think peanuts should not be eaten on the Tube?

[SuperGinger]

I was on the Tube yesterday and the man next to me had an open packet of peanuts which he was eating. It's such a common allergy and I know quite a few people, including my own brother, who would have had a serious reaction if they had been on that Tube.

Should I have said to him he shouldn't eat peanuts on thevTube even though I would not be impacted because I was worried about other potential sufferers in the carriage, as it's a very confined space and it was rush hour.

AIBU - It's a free world
YANBU - peanuts are a very common allergen and people should not eat them in confined public spaces.

What?! Of course you are

I think it would be impossible to police this. Do you ban all nuts? Contains traces of nuts? As PPs have said, there are so many allergies that could cause a similar or worse reaction in people. I taught a child with a very serious allergy to eggs. No one suggests you can’t have anything containing egg.

I'm allergic to garlic the smell the dust in the peel as well as obviously consuming it making me really ill. I'd love it if we could ban garlic as well please. Joking aside airborne allergies are really no joke the onus has to be on the person suffering the allergy trusting the entire population around you to protect you is simply unreasonable. I don't expect the world to know my allergies I expect to manage them myself.

A further thought.
Presumably I'd better chop down my walnut tree too? The ones I don't crop get eaten by the squirrels - and they are very messy eaters, spreading nut fragments all over the place.

I’m allergic to cats. Can we ban cats?

An overall ban on eating peanuts in public is obviously daft, but I think allergens on the tube are a different matter just because it would be so much harder to get medical help quickly if you're deep underground or in a tunnel.
It would be nice if people were more conscientious, but given my experience of allergies so far I wouldn't hold my breath.

I know a child who has an anaphylactic allergy to milk. Should we ban takeaway coffees and milk in baby bottles too?

My father has a bee sting allergy and is careful but it is easier to avoid.

The Tube is a very confined space, eating there is rude but not banned. Eating something potenially hazardous in a packed carriage where people are cheek by jowl is offensive

Egg sandwich
Cheese sandwich
Latte
Celery in salad
Mustard in sandwich/salad/dressing
peanut bar/snickers
Chocolate spread bar/sandwich/snack (hazlenuts)
Prawn sandwich

I cant remember the other allergens, there are 11 I believe that have to be declared on packaging.

People wouldnt be eating anything.

Seems some posters missed the word confined. 🤔, also lots of people touch the handrails, arm rests. Most tube journey are quite short so it is unusual to need to eat.

I'm immune-compromised. I am particularly vulnerable to chest infections and had pneumonia several times. Should we ban anyone with a cough and cold from all and any public spaces? Or should I assess risks, wear a mask and accept I can't expect the rest of the world to bend to my bidding?

I also have an egg and a banana allergy. Nut based protein bars are one of the very few convenience food items I can eat on the run.

Nobody has missed it - but why stop at peanuts? What about people with anaphylactic allergies to milk, for example? Are you going to ban takeaway coffees and babies drinking milk in bottles?

If you have an allergy to peanuts it’s your responsibility to manage that, not everyone else’s.

It's no harder to get medical help on the tube than it is on a train, or the top of a block of flats or an office block. It's considerably easier than it is.to get help in a village hall, or on a country walk, or in a coach on the motorway. Do you want.to ban then anywhere more than 500 metres from an A&E department?

To keep it fair you'd need to ban all nuts, not just peanuts. And sesame. And milk. And fish. And shellfish. And anything with gluten. All cereals. Wasps. Cats. Dogs. I'm allergic to horses - obviously you don't get those on the tube, but I can get a strong reaction from clothing someone wore riding 3 days ago. Dust. Perfumes. Where do you stop?

I don't think an outright ban would work. But I ate a granola bar on the Tube yesterday- unthinkingly- and if you had asked me to stop eating it because you had a peanut allergy, I would happily stop. I generally don't eat on the Tube. Same goes for any confined space.
I can manage without eating for a bit.

I don’t eat nuts in public just because I know how easily allergens from them can get airborne. I know anaphylaxis is anaphylaxis regardless of the source but nuts often have a powdery residue in the pack. I’m vegan and GF so a lot of my go to foods contain nuts but I just have them at home and choose alternatives when I have to eat out and about (tbh I try not to but sometimes it’s unavoidable). I know the risk is small but I don’t want to cause harm to anyone else and it’s very simple for me to modify my diet.

I'm allergic to horses - obviously you don't get those on the tube

Sorry - I'm afraid I did once saw someone get on the tube with a Shetland Pony. (Many years ago at Perivale station - before the barriers were in place). 😆

I wouldn’t eat on the tube because tubes are gross, but I agree with posters that say it’s very extreme to ban peanuts in public. What about bars that have peanuts out on the table to graze on? Nuts are in most foods you can’t possibly control it. I think if you have very severe allergies you need to be able to risk assess for yourself. Society can’t function for a small number of people. I think the only reason places like schools are nut free is because not everybody there would be trained to handle if anything happened so it’s more risk management than courtesy.

I would eat nuts or a cereal bar on the tube if I was so inclined. I think many people would. It would not occur to me not to. If I was the one with an allergy I would move rather than expect the other person to - if only because you just can’t police every allergy going.

I’m allergic to nuts, but not so much that airborne particles would affect me. You can’t ban eating nuts, the people with the allergy need to make sure they have their epi pens with them and they can move away from people eating nuts, unfortunately it’s a hazard of having an allergy.

One of my friends is allergic to caffeine. Even a tiny bit of coffee transferred onto his hand could kill him.

Therefore we should ban people taking coffees out in public.

Coffee is far harder to avoid than nuts.....

It wouldn't have crossed my mind that there is a potential issue.

Not in London but another city with underground I used to work two jobs. Finish one at 5pm start at 6pm at the other, with tube between them. Yes I would regularly eat on the tube. Cereal bars were a favourite, easy to carry and eat.

I can't be the only person who is going straight from one place to another and who's needed to grab something to eat en-route.

I don't think you can ban nuts from public transport. So many other allergens to consider too including milk and wheat.

They don't get banned because they are in everything. Wheat gets used as a thickner in lots of stuff and can be found everything from soups to ice-cream.
Milk again hard to illimiate.
Combine them together God only knows what people actually eat.

Most tube journey are quite short so it is unusual to need to eat.

The average length of a tube journey is 4 miles. Given the number of tourists going 2 stops, this means a lot of commuters are travelling considerably further - and possibly also linking with an additional train or bus journey. I used to regularly work 12+ hour days, with no time for lunch and with an hour and a half commute each end. I could have eaten on my walk to the station instead of on the train (at the cost of indigestion and possible choking), but with no washing facilities at the station I'd still have been touching handrails and arm.rests with my contaminated hands.

It's just not feasible to enforce this, so the affected people would never be able to rely on it anyway.

"nuts often have a powdery residue in the pack."

Whey powder is loads of packaged foods (or so it seemed to me when DD2 was being investigated for CPMA)

I didn’t realise this , I think it’s so important to be aware of allergies, I just try to avoid eating as much as possible in public places. I know that’s not always possible for people though. It must be such a huge worry for those who react to airborne allergens.