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smr

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smr
June 17, 2010 12:27 am

Frankly, I am horrified at the negative attitudes and comments from people who feel their rights are being taken away should peanuts (& tree nuts, please) be banned from flights. Perhaps they should be made to watch a person in a true anaphylactic situation.

I have a granddaughter who has multiple food allergies including peanuts and tree nuts. Her parents do a wonderful job of making sure that her surroundings are as safe as possible, providing appropriate food, and carrying all of the medications my granddaughter might need. The whole family absolutely accepts that these precautions are our responsibility.

However, when one is on an aircraft one does not have the option of pulling the emergency cord to stop the flight so that one can get to a hospital. This is the reason why a total… more »

…ban on peanut products needs to be made.

We have all been on flights where it is obvious that the cleaning crew did not have time to do a thorough job on the areas that can be seen. How often are filters changed? Probably not often enough to remove airborn allergens.

Our home airport is a Delta hub. Delta does not believe in peanut free flights. Jet Blue does not fly here. Flying other companies means making at least one, and frequently two, changes of plane thus making the travel time unduly long and stressful. Whoever is sitting next to my granddaughter cannot risk falling asleep in case she should have a reaction and not be able to self-inject – she is eight years old.

The Food Allergy Initiative states: “The prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergies tripled in children in the United States between 1997 and 2008, according to an FAI-sponsored study conducted by Scott Sicherer, MD, and colleagues at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, NY). The study was published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the official journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. “Our research shows that more than 3 million Americans report peanut or tree nut allergies, representing a significant health burden,” said Dr. Sicherer. “The data also emphasize the importance of developing better prevention and treatment strategies.”

When trying to explain the reason for this increase the FAI suggests “Another explanation could be the popularity of roasted peanuts in the U.S. The roasting process appears to alter the peanut protein, making it more likely to trigger an allergy.” Maybe the peanut supporters should put their efforts into making the move towards the healthier snack of raw peanuts (no oil, no salt, no roasting) and see if this will help protect the future youth of America. « less

smr
July 6, 2010 5:23 pm

There are two main factions here:
a) those who believe that it is right to help the few to live life to the fullest of their abilities, and
b) those who believe that no-one has the right to pass laws they do not agree with .
And it is very obvious that a consensus will not be agreed upon here.

I would like to thank the DOT for having the courage to bring this matter up and to ask for comments from the public, especially after being told by Congress in 1998 to drop the matter or risk having funding removed. No doubt the peanut lobby played a major part in that directive.

Those who have legitimate life threatening allergies (and there are many) have a right to be heard. Unfortunately, there appear to be many who wish to snuff out these voices because certain rights may be impeded.

Congress… more »

…should listen to the doctors and scientists who study these disabilities and allow the experts to make their honest recommendations. I understand that the peanut lobby will probably want their say, but money should not outweigh logic and science.

I would prefer a total ban on peanut and tree nut foods being served on flights.

My granddaughter has been medically diagnosed as having several allergies, including these two items. We are not hysterical, and we would be much happier if these allergies could disappear or be cured. Unfortunately, the science is not there yet. So, the family must all read labels, call companies when the labels are not clear, talk with restaurants, take “safe” food with us when no other solution is possible, and always carry a bag with any possibly required medications. We accept these as our responsibility.

We are restricted from being able to take family vacations very far from home because of the negative attitudes of the airline companies, or lack of choices because of living next to a Delta hub. This does not affect one person, this affects 12! I would have thought that the airlines would have taken this into account when looking at their bottom dollar, but Delta has stated that they will not restrict peanuts because their home is in Georgia!

The negative comments from some of the writers posted here are not helpful in defining what is the correct solution to allow allergy sufferers, and their families, to fly.

Get the feedback from the experts, make logical decisions, and fund the research into finding cures or relief for those suffering from the disability of life threatening allergies. All life threatening allergies! But please do not wait until someone dies before acting. « less

June 17, 2010 4:01 am

Thanks for your comment! What do you think the solution should be if the plane has left the gate and is sitting somewhere out on the tarmac? Should passengers be allowed to de-plane?

June 18, 2010 5:25 pm

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.

July 6, 2010 6:33 pm

Thank you for the comment smr. If you are aware of any scientific research on the subject, the DOT is interested to know about it. Could peanut free flights or a peanut free zone be effective as an alternative to a full ban?


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