Peanut Bans in Schools

[amIblue?]

We don't suffer from nut allergies at our house; however I do suffer from other severe allergies. I've experienced anaphylaxis several times in my life. It sucks.

There's nothing more irritating to me than when people believe that I am overreacting or that it's all in my head. I feel for these kids and these parents. I would never want to do anything to make a child sick. I happily comply with th peanut-free guidelines at my daughter's school. It's not as if keeping peanut products only for at home is a huge and unbearable inconvenience.

I hear parents complain about how how it wasn't a problem when we were kids. So what? It is a problem now for whatever reason. Think of the guilt one would feel if he/she were responsible for a child going into shock and dying because of a peanut butter sandwich.

I'm fairly certain that throughout history medical conditions have evolved that "didn't use to be a problem." Denial of the condition or disease won't make it go away.

[GeorgiaGreek]

Originally Posted by AGDee

They have found some common genetic markers in kids with peanut allergies. Perhaps, before there were better medications to deal with it, people died of these reactions before they could reproduce and pass the genes on? Perhaps it is recessive (neither my ex husband or I are allergic to peanut products and neither is my son).

Without going into nitty gritty genetics, it's highly unlikely that this upsurge in allergies is a natural selection type of shift. Natural selection doesn't happen over 2 or 3 generations. While there are certain diseases, notably cancer, that people used to die from because it went undetected or untreatable, there isn't a huge history of kids suddenly going into anaphylactic shock from peanuts and nobody being able to do anything about it. I'm not saying it never happened, but if it did, it was nowhere near as common as seeing kids today who can't be around peanuts without a severe reaction. The huge gap between the number of kids with such an allergy now and the number of kids who had it, say, 50 years ago, is so large that it couldn't possibly be considered a normal genetic shift.

Whether the change is caused by our lifestyle, an environmental agent, underexposure to peanuts, overexposure to peanut products (like latex allergies), I couldn't exactly say, but to me, it's apparent that these allergies are a byproduct of people's actions over the last few decades, not just random genetic selection.

[AGDee]

I have wondered if there are different fertilizers or pesticides being used on peanut farms that could be contributing. Are peanuts absorbing something from the ground that has been introduced?

However, I also wonder whether we are just more aware because we hear more on the news, etc. There were three kids in my elementary school (which I attended 35-42 years ago) who had peanut allergies. One was a neighbor who had a reaction after eating apple cobbler with her school lunch. Her mom went ballastic on the school because they had used peanut oil and not warned the girl, even though the school had been notified and warned the girl when brownies or cookies had peanuts in them.

My ex-husband blames my daughter's peanut butter allergy on me because I ate a ton of it while pregnant. I ate the same amount when pregnant with my son though and he's not allergic to it.

When people say they never heard of these things until recently, I'm always kind of surprised.

[33girl]

There have always been SOME children with allergies, even if they grow up in a very outdoorsy situation, but what we're seeing now is different. It's SO many kids with the same allergy. And call me crazy or knee-jerking, but the schools I hear about that institute peanut bans are usually in middle to upper class neighborhoods.

What hit home to me was the person in the article who said that some autistic kids will only eat PB & J. My friend's daughter is autistic and on a special diet besides. She can't have gluten or soy, but my friend isn't trying to ban those things from the school.

You have to tell your child that they WILL NOT trade food - just like they WILL NOT play with matches.

[AGDee]

I agree, for those who react only to ingestion. The most severe cases, where they react to something in the air, it's more difficult. My daughter was well trained to always ask. When she went to Europe, she had a card that said "I have a peanut allergy" in each language (she was in France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland) and showed it to the waitress before ordering. Her friends were almost more cautious than she was and would read ingredients lists before giving her something. Most kids who have experienced a peanut reaction don't forget how scary it is and are good about it though.

I had an ER doc yell at me when I mentioned my son eats peanut butter all the time. He said "I hope you prepare it in a separate kitchen."

Children on the autism spectrum may react to textures of other foods, leaving few options available.

[SydneyK]

I really can see both sides.

I understand that it's impossible to keep kids from sharing food, so a ban in elementary schools makes sense. I also understand that expecting an entire population of kids to cater to a few students with allergies can be inconvenient, so a ban seems excessive.

I can see how separating students with peanut allergies from the non-allergic kids can lead to feelings of alienation, so a ban seems more appropriate than segregation. And I can also see how the students who don't have allergies should have the right to bring PB&J sandwiches to school, so segregation seems more appropriate than a ban.

I'm truly on the fence. I think it's unfortunate that some students have such severe allergies, but I don't think it's necessarily fair to the students without allergies to be prohibited from bringing peanut products to school.

My kids take PB&J to school practically every day. It's quick, easy and cheap, and both kids love it. My daughter has been a vegetarian since she was still in the womb, so I like that she can get some protein from peanut butter. I would be irritated if their school banned peanut products entirely, and I would gripe about it from time to time, but I can see how it's the best thing to do in some situations. I guess I'm just surprised to learn that people can have a reaction just from the scent of peanuts - it seems to defy logic. But evidently, it does happen.

[trisigma212]

I think in the cases where they separate students at lunch they allow their friends to sit with them if they don't have peanut products. It's not like there are 5 kids at a cafeteria table by themselves eating their lunch while the rest of the cafeteria buzzes with chatter about recess. I've seen parents making sure their kid has a lunch buddy, usually one of their kid's friends.

I know when I was in elementary that the school cafeteria's offered SWAK (sealed with a kiss) as a lunch option. It was usually a pb&j with an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and a hershey kiss. It was awesome for me because cafeteria food never resembled what it was supposed to be and I knew that it wouldn't be overcooked or seasoned with tons of salt. I never understood kids fascinations with the mashed potatoes that were perfectly round from an ice cream scoop.

Schools need to take a proactive approach in making sure students are protected but also ensure they aren't alienating or separating students from positive social interaction. An outright ban doesn't seem smart, but you can find some middle ground. It goes down to educating the students, just like students who have asthma and carry an inhaler, or students who are diabetic and need to eat a snack in the afternoon. Stop keeping your students in the dark.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Children on the autism spectrum may react to textures of other foods, leaving few options available.

Mine has eaten a peanut butter sandwich every single day for years (and years). Fortunately, for us anyway, our schools have not banned peanuts, but I'm open to measures taken to protect other children (my child would probably welcome the opportunity to avoid cafeteria chaos and noise!).

I recall in preschool that a (typical) peer was severely allergic to peanut products, and the other parents were informed not to send class snacks containing peanut products. Still, this must be a little scary for a parent worried about cross-contamination and left wondering about other parents' knowledge of ingredients.

I didn't know that the scent of peanut products could trigger a reaction -- wouldn't this depend on proteins becoming airborne at some threshold? I just didn't realize that this occurred.

[trisigma212]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

I didn't know that the scent of peanut products could trigger a reaction -- wouldn't this depend on proteins becoming airborne at some threshold? I just didn't realize that this occurred.

I think its because of the oils in the peanuts that can cause a reaction. Same concept with an air freshener or oil diffuser. You get the scent because of the oils in the product.

Some schools have banned homemade goodies for classes, thinking that store-bought is a better option, but if it doesn't specifically say on the package that it was produced in a factory where peanut products aren't used, it's not any safer. I doubt very seriously that Little Debbie has two separate factories for ding-dongs and nutty bars.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by 33girl

There have always been SOME children with allergies, even if they grow up in a very outdoorsy situation, but what we're seeing now is different. It's SO many kids with the same allergy. And call me crazy or knee-jerking, but the schools I hear about that institute peanut bans are usually in middle to upper class neighborhoods.

I think you're right, I also think that there are a few factors behind that that might apply to kids today in general and that we hear about these things happening in more affluent areas because that's what's covered in the media.

One is that kids go to the doctor more often. My parents were always insured; they just never took us to the doctor outside of symptom-specific information. It wasn't until I was an adult with my own insurance that I had a full allergy panel, even though I had been diagnosed with asthma at like 7. My parents aren't uneducated or poor; they just didn't see the need in our going to the doctor when it wasn't necessary. My sister, on the other hand, has her kids take an annual physical above and beyond the one they need as athletes. As a result, they have a lot more diagnoses than we had. None of them are serious or life-threatening, but my sister is a lot more aware of their health challenges. I'm going to chalk that one up to being generational.

For better or worse, there's just a heck of a lot more information out there about allergies, and there's always good old Dr. Google to make people even more neurotic. I remember when I was diagnosed with asthma, my pediatrician told my parents to take it seriously because childhood asthma is often perceived as being faked or not that serious in some black communities; as a result, the death rate among black kids with asthma is much higher than among white kids. I'm not sure if a pediatrician would tell a mother that today, for obvious reasons; that same mother today, however, would probably go to WebMD or Google to supplement whatever the doctor told her.

Also, like I mentioned upthread, you can test for sensitivities for allergens without ever having presented symptoms; as a result, the diagnosis can shock people into action that may be unnecessary. Not only do wealthier families take their kids to doctors more regularly, they'll be more apt to visit specialists who, with insurance co-pays, can cost twice as much as a PCP.

Finally, there's just straight up fear of litigation. I suspect this fear is more common in affluent areas and schools/parents will make a bigger deal about it. I think that a lot of private schools did this first because it's easier to make a decision like this at the single-school level.

[RaggedyAnn]

One of the theories about peanut allergies is the GMOs, which would coincide with why there has been an increase in the allergies.
My neice is one that can't be around peanuts or peanut butter. She went to a birthday party where there were sundays and reeses pieces. She had a horrible reaction. She once got a swollen eye just from going through a grocery store.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

I didn't know that the scent of peanut products could trigger a reaction -- wouldn't this depend on proteins becoming airborne at some threshold?

Am I the only one whose mind went to peanut farts? Sorry yinz guys, it's been a long day.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

Is it possible that a student can be affected by a whiff of peanut butter? I mean, doesn't someone actually have to ingest something containing peanuts in order to have issues related to the allergy?

I do know a (bratty) kid who had a terrible reaction just from picking up a peanut, but not actually eating it. I think he was trying to be a brat to his Mom (i.e. threatening to eat it) and it sure backfired on him.

Originally Posted by SydneyK

I seem to remember an incident where a kid kissed his girlfriend/her boyfriend (I don't remember which one had the allergy) and got ill because the boyfriend/girlfriend had peanut-breath, so I guess I can see why it might be a good idea. But still, to ban peanut products entirely from the school seems a bit... excessive.

One of my co-workers had a shellfish allergy. Her fiance ate lobster or crab for lunch and then (forgetting this), kissed her a while later. Her lips puffed up like crazy and she had trouble breathing and went to the E.R. just to be safe.

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I don't recall this being an issue at all when I was a child. Kids often brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school for lunch....

aephi, I think we're around the same'ish age. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I agree, this wasn't really an issue. I honestly do believe that the foods that kids are eating today, are so modified and messed with, that kids are now manifesting all of these allergies and sensitivities that didn't really exist to the same degree back then in the 70s and 80s. Ah..the good old days.

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by CutiePie2000

One of my co-workers had a shellfish allergy. Her fiance ate lobster or crab for lunch and then (forgetting this), kissed her a while later. Her lips puffed up like crazy and she had trouble breathing and went to the E.R. just to be safe.

This is exactly why my boyfriend doesn't eat peanuts either, if he eats it and kisses me a few hours later, I can still get a reaction.

[thetygerlily]

What do kids with severe peanut allergies do for Halloween? Do they go trick or treating & ask for no peanut candies, toss/trade the peanut candies, or only take candy if there are no peanut candies in the bowl? Or do they just not go?

We just bought candy for Halloween and it made me (belatedly) think of this thread in panic. Peanut butter cups are pretty common (and fragrant), not to mention things snickers or paydays or peanut m&ms.