To think they should just ban nuts on all flights

[Ijustwantaquietlife]

Just reading this and it's heartbreaking, seems like such a simple change to ban nuts on all flights to help protect people.

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4809148/Former-ITV-producer-reveals-shocking-effect-nut-allergy.html

I've heard several people on mn saying they've been on flights where they were banned, seams to make sense as nut allergies are so widespread to just ban all together imo.

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4809148/Former-ITV-producer-reveals-shocking-effect-nut-allergy.html

I agree but it has never been proved that this came from 'airborne' dust rather than direct contact

Has it been disproven?

Fresh808
Agree
The anaphylaxis campaign seem fairly doubtful about air borne peanut dust.
"What are the risks during air travel?
Some people with peanut allergy report that they experience symptoms when peanut snacks are handed
around to passengers with their drinks during air travel. In our view the most likely cause of these reactions is
skin contact. If you touch a fold-down tray or some other surface that has previously been touched by a
passenger eating peanuts, and then touch your eyes or mouth, you could have a reaction. To minimise the risk,
you could carry “wet wipes” to clean surfaces as soon as you get on the plane.
Reactions caused by inhalation of peanut dust are thought to be less likely. A study presented to the 2012
annual meeting of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that peanut protein does not
easily become airborne and therefore significant exposure to peanut protein via inhalation is unlikely
(Makinson et al 2012)"

The only way a ban will be introduced is if absolute evidence is provided that even opening a pack of nuts, or having the residue on your hands etc. will cause an anaphylactic reaction in someone else.

There are so many life threatening allergies out there these days, that sooner or later nothing will be served on a plane if one group gets a ban. And that may spread to lots of other places too.

Think about that one.

I love peanuts but a ban on them on planes or anywhere else wont kill me.

Back in 2012 I was given the same advice from the anaphylaxis campaign and my daughter's consultant. However there have been many examples given on this thread where no peanuts were eaten and a reaction occured. There have been many reports in the media where no peanuts were consumed by the allergic person and a reaction occured. Hard to recreate in test conditions the exact scenario of sitting on a plane mid flight and everyone chowing down on nuts. I've given my younger daughter peanuts to eat sat next to her big sister to see if there was any reaction at home, however this is not the same as being in a narrow metal tube with no ventilation.

And once again, no one is asking for a ban in public places. Where I live now there is no nut ban in school and peanut butter is pretty much the national dish. She copes. I'm asking people to consider one very very specific instance where they could perhaps not eat nuts.

Yes they should be banned on planes. All these smart arses saying we will have to ban all food if thats the case - No, because only NUT ALLERGY IS AIRBORNE!!! Hence why a plane is the most dangerous environment because the air on a plane gets recirculated, which means the nut particals are constantly in the air. Some people need to educate themselves before being allowed to comment on topics like this. The only foods that can cause an airbourne reaction are nuts and fish (whilst it is being cooked) so you can keep your dairy and bread, snacking on those with your G&T wont cost someone a life 😤

I am actually shocked reading some of these comment. That people can be so ignorant towards how severe allergies are. I hope none of you or your family should suddenly develop an allergy 10,000 ft in the air because you couldn't control your need to snack on nuts for a few hours.

And no, Epipens wont cure the problem. The will hopefully keep the sufferer alive until they can reach hospital but as a PP said its a bit like CPR, not a treatment that will resolve the problem .

I am asking gently here so go easy on me.... can someone provide a link for airborne peanut dust in an airplane. Thanks.

I really wish people would do some research before embarrassing themselves with these ridiculous, ill informed comments.
Yes, it would be nice wouldn’t it. My contributions stem from a Bio degree and a Chem degree, and decades working in/around aviation and aviation engineering.

If I don’t know about it, I don’t comment on it and I don’t present ‘facts’ about it.

As opposed to: “I have looked around Dr Google…”

I despair…

I have a weird oral allergy to eating peanuts, I used to have a more severe reaction but seem to be better around them now.
But I still leapt up and moved a couple of weeks ago, when at an airport, the family sitting next to me whipped out rounds of peanut butter sandwiches. Of course I could smell them instantly and my face started itching but apart from that, I was fine.
On a plane, that has the potential to kill my friends daughter. They announce no nuts when she gets a flight but I'm still surprised to see them on the menu - once the slightest particle gets in the recycled air system, (which must surely be pretty instant?), she could be in real trouble.
I'm first aid and epi pen /auto injector trained, epi pens buy you time - more so if you carry two (big campaign at the moment), but it's still recommended to go to hospital as oxygen levels/antihistamines may still be necessary.
It's bloody serious and I don't think people appreciate how lethal it can be sadly.

This is a problem we are faced with every time we fly. My 4yo is allergic to peanuts and whilst some airlines are totally understanding, there are a select few who are definitely not.

If she went into anaphylaxis the plane would have to divert which would surely cost the airline more money than they would make selling but based products.

It is a constant battle trying to get people to understand how life threatening allergies can be

I enjoy a small bag of nuts with my G&T when flying.

I expect those poor souls who can, and have died due to this awful allergy, might probably enjoy "surviving". People are getting this all out of proportion, because the don't understand, or have not been bothered to read, the REASON it is so dangerous on board a plane, is that the all air is entirely circulated, round to everyone, again, and again, and that includes a very small minority of seriously encdangered people with this possibly fatal allergy. NO fresh air. No air leaves the cabin and it all gets recycled, over and again - so the PEANUT dust is ONE MILLION TIMES MORE DANGEROUS ON BOARD AN AIRPLAINE!!! For those lovely people who for some strange reason, simply cannot manage one journey, without scoffing peanuts, which might KILL somebody else, AND WHO FEEL AFFRONTED to be asked to be cautious, in order to, possibly save someones life, I say "educate yourselves". Then comment on your Gin and Tonic !

Just a point on epipens. My consultant (I have had several allergic reactions to peanuts plus Unknown foods) has stopped prescribing them for me - according to him, adult women have too much thigh fat for the epipens to deliver adrenalin to the muscle. Kids and men are probably OK as less thigh fat. So they are far from a magic bullet even in a short term/time buying situation.

Having had a mild reaction on a transatlantic flight (thankfully controlled by 2 piriton) I'm in favour of a nut ban on planes.

user1495656648 :

I agree with a peanut ban on planes, but the cabin air is definitely circulated through filters, so the nut particals (sic) are NOT going to be constantly in the air. Sorry.

As you say yourself, some people need to educate themselves before being allowed to comment on topics like this.

And again: once the slightest particle gets in the recycled air system
That is precisely what the filters are for. They trap a phenomenal amount of dust, fluff, hair etc too. You should see what they look like at service intervals.

(otoh, no - don’t look!)

NO fresh air. No air leaves the cabin and it all gets recycled, over and again - so the PEANUT dust is ONE MILLION TIMES MORE DANGEROUS ON BOARD AN AIRPLAINE!!! (sic)

Can we just stop this spread of incorrect info please? Talk about what you know is correct ffs.

if only the peanut contaminated air could go straight to those magic filters by bypassing everyone else then come out as guaranteed clean air..... definately a win win situation! would be a blessing for my family as we are usually told by doctors to avoid planes for a certain length of time after my son has had a reaction, even if its been a mild one because the chance of a severe reaction is increased in a plane environment

Does it really matter whether it is through skin contact or airborne?. If nuts are banned in flights then it will cut down on the risk of either happening. I don't think there can be any dispute that reactions to nuts have happened on planes without the allergens being ingested. If one life can be saved then surely it's worth it.

Ban on flights, then maybe trains, buses, schools, public places...

How many trains, buses, schools and public places do you know that are 30,000ft above the ground with limited opportunity to change that?

That is the point. It is the location that is the issue, the fact that an anaphylactic reaction on a plane is more serious than one on a bus or a train etc due to the difficulty of seeking appropriate medical attention before whatever effect the epipen has had has worn off.

It doesn't actually matter whether the reaction is caused by contact or airborne particles, it mattters that it has happened full stop.

How many people have actually had an anaphylactic reaction due to nuts on planes?
(factual data link please)

Or why not just ban them full stop? Actually, ban everything people are allergic to. With your reasoning, even people eating peanut M&Ms while waiting for the bus shouldn't be allowed to because maybe, just maybe, there might be someone there too with a nut allergy.

I'm not in favour of nut bans in schools for the same reasons the anaphylaxis campaign are not. However an aeroplane is a different matter due to the length of time it could take to get to medical help.

The last reaction my DS had the ambulance was there in 7 minutes. He was given intravenous steroids and an adrenaline nebuliser in the ambulance. That wouldn't be possible in an aeroplane. The epipen is not an instant cure, and medical help needs to be sought immediately.

And once again Swim, great if the person eating the nuts is sat at the back of the plane and the allergy sufferer is at the front. Not so great if they're sat next to you is it? Or if the person who ate them on the flight before you wiped their hands on the seat, or went to the toilet after eating and touched the seat heads on the way and then the handle of the toilet door.
All entirely possible and not wildly out of the question surely? My friend carries cleaning stuff and wipes down tables herself before they sit down to eat, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.
Of course people could have eaten crunchy nut cornflakes for breakfast and a crumb may have remained on their clothes and fallen on to a plane seat - you can't ever eliminate all risk.
But you can bloody well reduce it a hell of a lot.
I really can't see the opposing argument at all, sorry. No one will die from not eating peanuts for a few hours. People could die from the opposite.

@therealbuscuit

It's the difference between allergy and intolerance.

An intolerance to dairy and wheat means that you will only be affected by it if you ingest it, and if you do, it's likely that you will either throw up or shit your pants as your body tried to get rid of it.

An allergy is different, it's a lot more dangerous, and as was shown on This Morning, it can turn a healthy young woman into nothing more than skin and bone who can't walk, talk, or even close her mouth.

Allergies can produce anything from a spot or rash, to swollen lips, painful limbs, and even death, especially as the allergens from peanuts can become airborne. Put those in a packed plane that recycles air and limited medical supplies ....

There are 13/14 major allergens in food alone. I really hope you never have to deal with one yourself, or watch someone else having an attack because it's horrible.

I love peanuts, but I agree with banning them on planes.

Maybe they should have special flights where nuts aren't allowed and then everyone knows where they are and what's on board.

If there is no ban on peanuts on a certain airline, what parent/carer would take anyone on that plane really. That is just so irresponsible given the dangers of someone opening, spreading peanut "dust" or just eating them. How dare they.

I also would like to know how dangerous this "dust" is. Anyone prepared to answer.

But I suppose it is everyone else's fault. It usually is.

How many people have had peanut reactions ON A PLANE

bearing in mind that the lady in the Fail story did not ........