Profile:
jfoltman

This is jfoltman's Profile page. Use it to view jfoltman's comments, other users' replies to these comments, and comments jfoltman has endorsed.

What's Happening Now

June 23, 2010 2:10 pm

As a mother of a child who had a (luckily) mild reaction to someone else’s peanuts on a plane, I would like to say that as a physical disability this should be treated as any other. People in wheelchairs are given ramps and special treatment which is also somewhat inconvenient to other passengers, why not do the same for people with severe allergies? For those who say all possible allergens would be banned, they obviously do not understand that only a couple of allergens (peanuts, and latex included) travel through the air in dust form. I cannot comprehend people who are not willing to give up one certain snack-food for a couple of hours for the safety of others. There are so many laws to protect the handicapped that I don’t understand how this is even a debate. Peanuts should be banned on planes.

June 23, 2010 3:00 pm

After reading other people posts it is clear that most do not even understand what a real allergy is. As a registered nurse I can tell you that a person who get nauseous at the smell or an upset tummy is not allergic, that is an intolerance and is not life threatening. My son spent 2 days in intensive care as a small child from a true peanut reaction. For those saying that a small amount of peanuts in the air is not harmful, my child’s throat closes up when he eats food that was processed in the same facility with peanuts and began this reaction on a plane with peanuts 5 rows in front of us. We would not travel on air planes if not for the fact that we have family in both Florida and New York. We cannot live near both. We have to avoid many restaurants that serve peanuts, and he cannot… more »

…get ice cream at any place that offers peanuts as a topping. We do not ask the world to revolve around his disability any more than any other person with a disability would ask for. To answer the question about whether having just the flight that the allergic person is on be peanut-free would be helpful, it leaves room for error and with all of the other things that are banned on flights (lotion bottles, fingernail clippers, etc) it seems far more efficient to simply add it to the list. « less
June 23, 2010 4:19 pm

An allergy is not a handicap or a disability. Everyone is allergic to something, so by your misguided definition, everyone is disabled or handicapped.

Other allergens can be detected in the air and cause a reaction; peanuts and latex are not the only things. Once you start to ban certain foods, you go down the slippery slope of banning other foods because someone will be allergic to one or more ingredients in that food.

You are responsible for your condition and that of your children. Trying to shift that responsibility to other passengers is unreasonable in the extreme.

June 23, 2010 4:39 pm

I think the large majority of the population doesn’t understand that a severe peanut allergy is unlike other allergy. Many people think “oh I have allergies-I take an antihistamine when I get itchy or feel sick”. People with a severe allergy can die from a reaction to the peanut protein in the closed confines of a plane with recirculated air. This is not an irrational fear, but rather based in the reality that you can take all the proper precautions, but there is nothing you can do if the peanut protein is in the air on a plane. It’s not like you can go outside for fresh air. An epi-pen is only a stop gap solution. It lasts for 15-20 minutes and allows the sufferer time to get to an emergency room for further treatment. We first discovered that my son’s allergy… more »

…to peanuts, included air born exposure while flying on a plane. He was 5 years old and asleep and started scratching his face, which also began to swell. I looked to the back of the plane and discovered that the stewards were passing out peanuts, which everyone was popping open. I asked her to stop immediately, which she did. I gave my son Benedryl and fortunately this sufficed-this time. We were very lucky. It is terrifying to be mid-flight and think that your child or loved one could die like this. It is also very disheartening to read comments from people who feel that their freedom is impinged upon by not being allowed to eat a certain food for the length of a flight. It seems a minor inconvenience to be asked to refrain from a food preference for such a short time in order to save another’s life. A peanut free zone will not work because of the air born peanut protein in recirculated air. If peanuts are only banned on a flight with an allergy sufferer, does the plane get new fresh air before a new group of passengers boards for another flight? If many passengers decided they were going to bring a peanut containing candy bar on the plane, this too could create a serious allergic reaction. I also think that the airlines should be required to carry epi-pens and an emergency kit to be prepared to treat a variety of emergencies, since once up in the air we are captive to what is available. The reason nobody ever died from an anaphylactic peanut reaction on a flight is because the parents of children with this allergy go to great lengths to make sure the flight is peanut free and often meet with the disdain of flight personnel when reminding them on boarding of the need for a peanut free flight and to make an announcement to not eat peanut products on the plane. Banning peanuts on a fight seems like a minor inconvenience & not a lot to ask to save a life. The only way the rule can be effective is to ban peanuts & peanut products from all flights. « less

No comments