You've Got to be Kidding

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by epchick

Ask the people who are deathly allergic to peanuts. I subbed for a class where you couldnt bring ANY peanut/nut product because one kid was deathly allergic. The brother of a childhood friend would get anaphalaxis if he even smelled peanut/peanut butter on your breath.

But that's an allergy to peanuts, not to the smell itself. That student was not allergic to the smell of peanuts; his allergy to peanuts was severe enough that it could be triggered by inhaling (rather than ingesting) peanut allergens. The corollary would be if the teacher in the OP's post was allergic to olive oil itself, or to the lotion, not just to the smell of the lotion.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

But that's an allergy to peanuts, not to the smell itself. That student was not allergic to the smell of peanuts; his allergy to peanuts was severe enough that it could be triggered by inhaling (rather than ingesting) peanut allergens. The corollary would be if the teacher in the OP's post was allergic to olive oil itself, or to the lotion, not just to the smell of the lotion.

My relative's doctors call it allergic...and though personally I haven't heard of someone being DEATHLY allergic to smell, I can tell you for a fact that some people have bad enough reactions to fragrances for them to be considered debilitating in some cases. For her it's severe headaches and nausea along with the typical allergy symptoms like itchy/watery eyes and an effed up nose. And this can be triggered by shampoo, scented lotion, air fresheners, cigarette smoke, etc. I think it's perfectly believable that the teacher was allergic...but that doesn't excuse her way of going about it. There are many ways she could have handled the situation without singling out one student.