Profile: davew
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Thanks for the very complete answers to DOT’s questions Dave. Please feel free to comment on the other topics as well.
Dave brings up an interesting point about security restrictions and epi-pens. Do restrictions exist against bringing epi-pens on planes? Has anyone had experience with these restrictions? Should these restrictions influence the regulation?
Just a few quick comments:
According to the TSA website (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm), you can bring EpiPens onboard an airplane. I don’t have an EpiPen, but I have Type I diabetes, and I bring an insulin pen and syringes with me on every flight (about 12 times per year).
Also, while many peanut allergies are very serious, it is still not “highly likely” that a person with a peanut allergy with have a reaction on an airplane where peanuts are served. I can’t access the entire article, but the following abstract has information on the number of peanut allergic individuals who had reactions inflight: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10400859
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Here are my thoughts on the three Proposed Solutions:
Allowing peanuts/nuts but instituting a “buffer zone”
— Although perhaps an improvement over current procedures, this will only help a portion of peanut/nut allergic people, and mostly likely won’t help severely allergic individuals.
— Airborne peanut/nut proteins can cause anaphylactic reactions faster than surface-bound peanut/nut proteins; the recycled air in the plane exacerbates this problem.
— Every surface could still be contaminated, even if you wipe down your seats; for example, touching any other arm rest, using lavatory doors, toilets, sinks, and surfaces right after someone else who was eating peanuts/nuts.
— There would simply still be too many risks.
Requesting a peanut/nut-free… more »
— Again, better than current procedures, and better than a buffer zone, but still a problem. A peanut/nut allergic individual would likely be walking onto a plane that was not peanut/nut free 30 minutes prior; and although some cleaning of the cabins occurs between flights, many of the same issues mentioned above would still exist.
— How would the logistics of making other passengers aware prior to getting to airport be handled? Notify people at the time of purchase? How would they be notified after the time of purchase?
— Most people don’t understand and/or are not tolerant of peanut/nut allergy, purely out of lack of knowledge of its severity (prior to having a son diagnosed with peanut/nut and soy allergies I didn’t know what it entailed either); How would it be possible to prevent people “sneaking” peanuts/nuts or simply ignoring the policy?
— This has the potential to single out the peanut/nut allergic “offender” (for example, as soon as other passengers see you wiping down your seats).
Banning peanuts/nuts completely
— The only viable solution to make air travel routinely safe for everyone.
— Although there may still be risks of passengers violating the policy, this resolves all of the issues mentioned above. The surfaces of and air inside the plane would be safe, all travelers would know what to expect, no one would know who was or wasn’t peanut/nut allergic.
— Airlines have nothing to lose by instituting a full ban; they only have customers to gain. Like with any changes in air travel policy, if such a ban is universally instituted, everyone will have to accept it, and it will not prevent people from continuing to fly. However, what will happen is that a large and continuously growing part of the customer market that currently cannot or will not fly, will buy tickets knowing that air travel can be safe.
— Bear in mind the severity of a situation where a peanut/nut allergic individual goes into anaphylactic shock mid-air. In some cases, Benadryl and an Epipen (epinephrine auto-injector) will resolve the reaction for an amount of time. However, in many cases these measures merely buy you enough time to get to an emergency room, typically 10 to 15 minutes; which would not be possible when in mid-air. Therefore, while the first two policy options may reduce risk to a degree, they are not sufficient, assuming that the goal here is to make air travel safe for everyone. « less
Some direct answers to the DOT’s questions:
“How likely it is that a passenger with a severe peanut allergy will suffer a reaction from peanut particles in the air on a flight?”
— Although there is no direct formula, if there are peanut particles in the air, it is highly likely that a passenger with a severe peanut allergy will have a life-threatening reaction.
“What steps should airlines have to take, if any, to avoid this danger?”
— Complete restriction of peanut products on board a flight is the only way to effectively try to avoid this danger. This includes food supplied by the airlines, as well as food brought by passengers and consumed on the plane.
“Would an epinephrine auto-injector, to allow immediate treatment of an allergic… more »
— Possibly, but you certainly can’t bank on it. Epinephrine auto-injectors are designed to temporarily open the air passages; they are for immediate treatment – not long term treatment. Although Epipens might end up staving off a reaction, they most frequently just buy you some time to get long term treatment at the hospital such as antihistamines, steroids, and other measures.
“If so, should it be the responsibility of the airline, or the passenger, to provide it?”
— That depends. As parents who have a child with a severe peanut allergy, we don’t go anywhere without Epipens, nor should anyone with a severe peanut allergy. However, the auto-injectors have a large needle at the end of them (it is retracted until the injection is administered), and I don’t know if this is currently a security issue. If so, and Epipens were not allowed to be carried by passengers onto a flight, it would absolutely be up to the airlines to have a stock of them on board as part of their medical supplies. Otherwise, if passengers with proper medical documentation were allowed to carry their prescribed Epipens, they should definitely be diligent in doing so, but I still think Epipens should be a standard item included with a plane’s medical supplies.
“Should any food item containing peanuts be covered in a restriction, including e.g., peanut butter crackers and products containing peanut oil?”
— Absolutely. Anything containing peanuts, such as peanut butter crackers, should be restricted, no question. Regarding peanut oils, theoretically, very highly refined peanut oil contains smaller amounts of peanut proteins, and therefore poses less of a risk. However, it is almost impossible to determine which food companies use what kinds of oils, how refined the oils are, and what else is involved in the manufacturing process. So in general, items containing peanut oils should be completely avoided. « less