Profile: howie
This is howie's Profile page. Use it to view howie's comments, other users' replies to these comments, and comments howie has endorsed.
What's Happening Now
Thank you for your comment howie. The DOT would like to see any information you may be aware of concerning the relative safety of peanut products on airplanes.
Any data that you might have about the prevalence or severity of peanut allergies would be useful to the DOT.
Is it really possible that all blindly partisan advocates of the peanut in this context eat peanuts and only peanuts? That they are overtaken by such a compulsion to consume peanut while flying that they lose sight of all other priorities? That they are unable to stop using their peanut – the one dragon they can’t put to sleep – to create a sense of pleasure and comfort? These sound like essential symptoms of disordered eating and addiction, which, in all likelihood, derive from some longstanding issues. The remedy is to avoid the substance in question…. “just say ‘no’” to your peanuts.
Serving/eating peanuts on airplanes has risen to the level of a public health menace, as had tobacco smoking. Again, the only prudent course of action is to require that distribution of peanut on airplanes be discontinued.
Between the U.S. and Canada, approximately 3.3 million people suffer from peanut and/or tree nut allergies, but a much smaller subset have potentially life-threatening reactions when exposed.
If these alleged sufferers want to live their lives in fear, they are willfully giving up their right to travel by air or any other method, because the air they breathe anywhere could contain peanut dust, oil, or traces of tree nuts.
Yet, it seems very peculiar that these self-proclaimed sufferers aren’t dropping dead at work or on the street. Could it possibly be because their world isn’t nearly as dangerous as their over-active imagination would have them believe?
An estimated (by the medical profession) 125 to 150 deaths occur in the United States every year due to food-related anaphylaxis. About 2/3rds of those are thought to be caused by peanuts. Given that peanut allergy is by far the most prevalent of the food allergies, that proportion would make sense. The question is not if anyone has died from ingestion of peanuts. Clearly, the answer is yes, and that has been proven. The question at hand is whether that merits somehow banning peanuts from air travel. The greater question is, have there been proven cases of severe anaphylaxis from the inhalation of peanut dust? Though perhaps the ultimate question is, then should those few people that have legitimate concerns simply not fly?
I wish it were imagined – I have a 9-year old with a peanut allergy and she has had a reaction on a plane due to peanuts being served. The doctor above understands that the peanut allergy is different from most ofter food allergies because in it life threatening. I don’t understand how not being able to eat peanuts for a few hours out of your life is worth putting another life at risk.
Howie, you really need to try out this “Google” thing sometime! It answer silly questions like “Does anyone here actually know of a confirmed report of one person actually dying from a peanut?” You’ll find multiple reports from reputable news outlets, even links to some newspaper articles (you’ve heard of newspapers, right?). Seriously, try it out buddy.
I am allergic to nuts, peanuts included. Even the smell of peanuts makes me want to be sick. The fact the entire plane opens their peanuts at once, makes it an overpowering smell that just unsettles me and makes me nervous. I just can’t see air travelers really loving peanuts so much that 1) it is their preferred snack, and 2) they are willing to eat it at the expense of another person’s suffering. I do fly Southwest a lot and tell them of my allergy, and they are pretty good about banning peanuts from that flight.
Howie,
You have no idea what you are talking about. They are not mostly imagined and it is a serious issue. If you can’t survive hours or days without peanuts then that is your problem and if you think it is that much of an inconvenience then maybe you should see somebody to deal with your own lack of discipline.
Actually, Howie, vomiting IS a part of an allergic reaction. Allergies also do tend to run in families although not necessarily of the same variety. Kids with allergies tend to get tested by lots of people during the course of their lives doctors and allergist alike. Food challenges (most reliable), skin prick tests (reliable), and blood test (least reliable) are the top three methods of determining true allergies. Living in a world surrounded by lack of awareness tends to deprive them of enjoyable things in life far more then avoiding the offending food.
It seems all the so-called allergy sufferers are children, then keep them at home till they outgrow the allergy. We never heard of peanut allergy till a few years ago so what has happened? Most Americans are eating too much processed food and getting fat and sick. Get your self healthy again by eating properly and you probably will not have an allergy.
What if I’m allergic to certain kinds of cloth that people wear? Then must we tell them to not get on the plane?
I feel uneasy at the smell of some food people bring on the plane to eat. Shell we say no to all food period?
Maybe we can not bring on any luggage as it may contain some substance that will cause someone to not feel good?
Our government in-charge wants to control everything we do now, we must resist any more control or regulation… more »
This discussion must be stopped by a federal judge now before it gets any further. I want my peanuts and no one should be able to tell me what I can eat.
« less
On a plane 2 years ago, when my son was 3, he came into contact the carpeting below the seat and developed hives. We looked and saw an old peanut under the seat in front of us. He has a documented peanut allergy. I suspect that there was residual peanut in the carpet that he came into contact with.
I am fairly certain that this 3 year-old boy he did not get hives because he was ‘stressed out’. Fortunately all he got was hives, but as best we could tell he did not have a serious ingestion (and our leg of the flight was peanut-free after we had notified the airline of his allergy at booking and check-in).
Please also see posts above citing the peer reviewed medical literature regarding the prevalence of food allergies, and specifically peanut allergies, in children.
So, while… more »
Thank you. « less
Here is a good place to begin your research http://www.mssm.edu/profiles/hugh-a-sampson Mount Sinai Medical School and the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute is one of, if not the, premier institute in the country working to solve the food allergy mystery.
Indeed, millions of Americans have food allergies and unfortunately many people die each year due to allergic reactions to certain foods. Personally, we have only had one ER trip to save our daughter’s life due to a reaction. I hope we never have to go through that again.
Thanks for taking the time to review the draft summary, Howie. To answer your question about experts, we contacted all the authors (whom we could locate) of all the studies brought to our attention by commenters or people who responded to our request for other experts. You can see the complete list of studies here.
We will be appending this list of studies and the questions posed to experts to the final summary that we submit to DOT.
This is not the place to reargue your position. Now the goal is to ensure that the summary captures all the points that people made during the discussion.
No comments
If you have a problem, it is up to you to have the solution. I say “if” because the vast majority of supposed food allergies are BS – the paranoid imaginings of overly anxious parents. Has ANYONE ever died from a food allergy on a plane? Didn’t think so. Keep you hands off my peanuts! Peanuts happen to be one of the most nutritious and filling snacks available pound for pound, and peanut products are often the only thing that picky kids will eat. I say again – IF you are really allergic, stay home.
Peanuts should never be banned anywhere! Best food for the size available. If my kid’s school were to attempt to ban them, they would be the target of a discrimination lawsuit. Food allergies are incredibly rare. Most people who believe they are allergic only think so because their parents misinformed them out of total paranoia. c1r2mom – have you actually HAD that reaction, or do you just think you might?
I just have to say, Yeah right. Did your son actually get diagnosed by a doctor? Foolish paranoia is the real illness in most supposed food allergy cases.
Absolutely! I think the fact that she survived the people next to her having peanuts indicates that the fear is baseless.
Southwest DOES serve peanuts (thank god) unless you impose your paranoia on the rest of us and request a peanut free flight.
Allergist has an agenda. the fact that he has never reacted is more telling than any suggestion by the self-servig allergist.
More than 31 people drop dead each day FOR NO REASON. Food allergies are so rare, that the rest of the world should not concern themselves. IF you have a problem (doubtful) then it is up to YOU to take precautions!
You got that right! The whole anti-peanut movement is the result of hyper-paranoid parents imagining worst case scenarios and thinking that they have the one child in a billion who actually has a problem with the supposed allergen. The only way peanuts are going to hurt you is if you choke on them.
And what makes you think your kid is actually allergic? Did you read a news story about the one person in the history of the world who actually had said allergy and assume YOUR kid must be the other one? Munchasen by Proxy – look it up.
Other than death by choking, it IS NOT a fact that peanuts kill people. It is a fact that they provide a very nutritious snack that children will actually eat. If your paranoid imaginings are too sever for you to allow the rest of the traveling public to enjoy a snack in peace, STAY HOME!
Highly unlikely that you AND two of your offspring actually suffer from the same allergy. Allergies are not genetic. Therefore, I must classify you as a hypochondriac. Unfortunately your paranoia is robbing your kids of one of the most nutritious foods (pound for pound) on the planet.
So true! I see this all the time. They try to ban peanuts at school because some over anxious mom saw something on TV about food allergies and that became her kids affliction du jour. Peanuts are harmless to 99.99999% of humans. The 3 living humans who are actually in danger just need to stay in a bubble and leave the rest of us in peace.
Mulder is right on point. Most food allergies are completely imagined. An overly anxious parent gets it in her head that little jimmy might have had a hive after someone had peanuts in his vicinity, and now he’s “deathly allergic”. Has ANYONE ever actually died on a plane from peanuts (other than by choking on them)? I sincerely doubt it. Peanuts are incredibly nutritious, almost universally enjoyed, and quite filling in a small serving. Simply put, pound for pound there is no better food on the planet. This whole anti-peanut hysteria is ridiculous! Leave my peanuts alone! If you are one of the incredibly rare people that have an actual medically diagnosed severe allergy to this wonderful food, then you better never leave the house because peanuts are everywhere. You certainly should not be flying.
Has ANYONE ever actually died on a plane from eating peanuts? Didn’t think so. Most food allergies are imagined. You clearly have a financial interest in promoting the myth of food allergy. If someone is actually that allergic, they should stay home and not inconvenience the rest of us.
You are right on sir! Most of these supposed allergies are the paranoid imaginings of over anxious parents. The rest of the public should not be forced to accommodate them. A hive or two is not going to kill little jimmy, and the previous poster “shoeslut” should have her head examined for panicking like that. She is causing more harm to her child by being such a paranoid freak than any peanut ever will.
Pretty sure your kid will be fine. If not, DON’T FLY!!!
Unless you choke on them, these things (peanuts) WILL NOT kill anyone. Go to a real doctor and get tested – he will tell you peanuts are harmless.
Finally the voice of reason. While I still dispute whether your reaction will be as severe as you believe, at least you realize that it is your responsibility to take precautions. Your ailment is not shared by the general population, and should not be an excuse to infringe upon the rights of others.
Your vomiting was not an allergic reaction – you were probably airsick. Allergies are not genetic, so it is pretty much impossible that you and two of your offspring suffer from them. This is clearly a case of you getting some bad information and believing the worst. Please let your kids get tested out by a real doctor (not an allergist), before you deprive them of any more of the enjoyable things in life.
first off, you do not have a ‘fatal’ peanut allergy – you are still alive. MAYBE you have a ‘potentially fatal’ allergy – extremely unlikely, but possible. Your only viable solution – DON’T FLY.
Absolutely correct. Allergies are largely the realm of the hypochondriac. Get a real doctor to diagnose this – not an ‘allergist’ as they have an agenda to promote. These peanut people are just a new kind of PC nazi. If you really have a problem, DON’T FLY!
As allergies are not genetic, it is extremely unlikely (try impossible) that you and you child have the same allergy. Also, while unpleasant, your child’s reaction was not life threatening. Many children have these mild reactions to various foods – my daughter used to get a rash if she ate strawberries. The sensitivity fades, usually by age 4. The key is not to freak out about it. I bet you are the same mom who rushes to the emergency room for every bump and bruise too. The perception of an increase in severe allergies is just that – a perception. This generation of parents just can’t seem to let their kids grow up normally – which includes a few bumps, bruises, hives, etc. Peanuts ARE NOT going to kill anyone. They should not be banned.
What is hard to believe is that you feel perfectly fine inflicting your unfounded paranoia on the rest of us. Truly life threatening food allergies are vanishingly rare. These days everyone seems to want to think they belong to a special needs group of some kind. You got a hive once after eating a peanut butter sandwich, and suddenly you have a life threatening allergy. If you are one of the VERY FEW who actually have this condition, DON’T FLY. You can’t go to a job interview anyway, because anywhere you go you will be exposed to peanuts. ‘Most’ schools are not succumbing to this foolish paranoia – just the ones run by PC nazi whackos. I tell you what, anyone tells me I can’t feed my kid the one nutritious snack she will actually eat better be prepared for a lawsuit and a black eye.
While I am sure it was scary, you said it yourself, the reaction was not severe. I applaud the flight attendant for singling you out – as a fellow traveller I would want to know who had caused MY child to not be able to have a snack on a long flight. Peanuts are harmless to 99.9999999% of the population. In that VERY small subset that are effected, actual life threatening reactions are incredibly rare. The traveling public should not be impacted because of your erroneous belief that this wonderful food might harm your child.
I think it is incredibly rude that you will inconvenience an entire plane load of people to avoid mild discomfort. Take benadryl before you fly, or don’t fly. Your watery eyes and itchy throat are not my problem.
Absolutely correct. Unfounded fear is paralyzing this country and taking the enjoyment of life away from an entire generation of children. Far less that 1% of the population actually has a severe allergy. 99% of those who think they do are full of it. Oh yeah, the kid had a reaction at 3yrs. old. It is almost certain that by 5yrs. he will have outgrown the sensitivity.
How about ZERO. This is a non-issue. Peanuts are harmless.
Methinks you have an agenda. Highly suspicious that the child of a physician who is hyper aware of bad things that can happen coincidentally has not one, but three life threatening allergies. Have you heard of Munchasen by Proxy? Do you realize that most kids have mild reactions to various food items that they invariably grow out of by the age of 5? Food allergies have to be the most overblown imagined health problem of our time. Hypochondriacs all.
I sincerely doubt you “know plenty of people who will die if they do have peanuts or breathe in peanut dust”. Almost no-one is actually that allergic. Lot’s of people think they are much worse off than they really are.
First, stop reading that propaganda magazine. Publications like that only serve to create fear in minds like yours. Second, how old is your kid? If under 5, relax the sensitivity will probably go away by the time he is 5. Third, go to a real doctor – not an allergist and see if there is really even a problem at all. This supposed plague of food allergies is the result of very clever advertising by this profession of pseudo-scientists. Allergists are not doctors.
Food Allergy Initiative – another propaganda piece by the allergists. Your quote above – “our research shows that more than 3 million americans report peanut or tree nut allergies. . . ” You can’t trust what people report, there are MILLIONS of hypochondriacs out there. If you are one of the VERY VERY VERY FEW who actually have a doctor diagnosed serious allergy – DON’T FLY.
My hat’s off to you Mr. Mulder (Fox isn’t it?). You seem to be the only voice of reason in this entire thread.
Mulder, once again you are absolutely correct. All the hyper-emotional arguments aside, the simple fact is, NOT ONE PERSON HAS EVER DIED FROM A PEANUT ON AN AIRPLANE!!! So, if you are so risk averse that you want to ban peanuts due to the extremely remote possibility that someone could actually be injured by one, then you really shouldn’t be flying, as planes do occasionally crash. For that matter you shouldn’t drive, walk in public, eat any kind of food, or breath the air, as each of these activities has a higher chance of injuring someone than ingesting a peanut. This is not some ‘hyper-libertarian’ matter of principle. If we allow the foolish paranoia of the uninformed masses make these decisions, what’s next? Should we be strip searched and made to fly… more »
Really, I just have one question: Does anyone here actually know of a confirmed report of one person actually dying from a peanut? I’m not talking about ‘almost’ died, I mean an actual funeral? Didn’t think so. Nuff said.
What is really telling in this entire discussion, is that each of the supposed allergy sufferers (or parents thereof) start off by saying I/my child has a life threatening allergy etc., and then describe an incident where they were exposed to the supposed allergen and either nothing happened, or a MILD reaction occurred. Several times I see – ‘I got nervous through the whole flight because I could smell peanuts’, or, ‘he broke out in hives and I was terrified’, or itchy eyes and scratchy throat, etc. Not one of these posters is mentioning an actual serious reaction that led to death or extended hospitalization. Hives, itchy eyes, scratchy throat – all unpleasant, but hardly life threatening. If peanuts are so deadly, why aren’t we hearing from… more »
As you say yourself, the child just got hives. This is not a dangerous reaction. So, what is the problem? Why are you so overprotective that you want to impact the entire traveling public due to this minor incident? I’ve had hives before, they are unpleasant. So is hunger.
Why is this anyone else’s problem? Your child had an unpleasant reaction. NOT a dangerous one. This is not a life or death issue, it is only a matter of comfort. If a smear of peanut butter that got wiped on his face just caused hives, then there really isn’t anything to be afraid of is there?
Obviously I don’t want anyone to die. With all the hysteria being spouted by you and others, it seems like this board should be full of heartbreaking tales of dead loved ones. I was simply making the point that those tales are not here because it hasn’t happened, because THERE IS NO RISK!
PracticalJo is the one who is uninformed. Reputable sources will confirm that actual severe food allergies of any kind are extremely rare, and life threatening ones are nearly non-existent. There are certainly not “millions of children” who could die from peanut exposure. As far as speaking to someone who suffers several severe food allergies, I’ve spoken to a few who CLAIM that status – hypochondriacs all. These allergies are mostly imagined. There are intolerances to various foods, that is not an allergy and will cause discomfort but not death. Even those with actual allergies are not in any danger of dying – just mild discomfort. Hives and itching are not life threatening conditions. The point is not that I ‘need’ peanuts. The point is I… more »
Since it seems to be getting lost in the shuffle, I’ll say it again. If this was a real issue – ie: one that has an actual chance of happening, this board would be filled with tragic tales of dead loved ones killed by the evil peanut. NOT ONE SUCH STORY APPEARS HERE!!! It hasn’t happened. It wont happen. It is doubtful that it ever could happen. When people start actually getting injured, I’ll consider giving up my peanuts. Until then, you peanut people are revealing yourselves as hysterical chicken littles crowing about the sky falling.
Excellent summary of the what happened in the discussion. I think an important editorial note should be inserted, that the people with dubious claims of allergy do argue their points passionately, and are convinced of their own veracity. Unfortunately hypochondriacs do exist, and some acknowledgement of that fact, and the certainty that at least some of the anecdotal evidence provided must be coming from hypochondriacs would have made this more complete and accurate. Also, I see that there are no ‘Expert’ comments yet. I do hope that the experts you contacted represent both pro and anti allergy researchers. There are many scientists, and many studies, and one can find ‘evidence’ for and against any issue. I am sure as many studies can be found to disprove the existence… more »
Zero seems like an acceptable level of risk to me. to reiterate – There has NEVER been ONE single death. No Risk Whatsoever. You are correct, death due to peanuts would not be an acceptable outcome. Thing is, it doesn’t happen. A few hives on the other hand, that seems pretty acceptable.
This makes my point better than anything I could ever say. You put your selfish needs ahead of the health and safety of the ENTIRE PLANET?!?! Really? The Ozone Layer is pretty important to the rest of us, I don’t think your need for an inhaler trumps that. Same argument with the peanuts. People who might be slightly impacted by a mild allergic reaction want to institute a ban that will impact the vast majority of the rest of us. Simply selfish.