[...] Should Peanuts be Banned on Airplanes? [...]

Is the summary missing some important detail? Is there something about peanuts’ mere existence that threatens allergy sufferers? Does thinking about a peanut bring on anaphylactic shock?

@bob – peanuts are one of the few allergies where inhaling an airborn particle can create a reaction, sometimes a very bad one, even without ingestion. So in theory, yes, its mere existance could in fact harm someone with a severe allergy.

Thanks, PlumbLucky. I’d not heard that before. A quick search Google search I just performed, however, suggests that the risk of a severe reaction from inhalation is quite small:
http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/ch/peanut1.cfm
http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/assets/common_beliefs_faan_2003.pdf
http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/42226.htm

@jenny tries too hard (full disclosure. I carry an Epi-Pen for food allergies, though they aren’t peanuts) my directions from my doc with the Epi-pen are to use and get to ER/Medical care immediately. I do not know if that is a standard order of business with them, but that’s what mine are. A little hard to do in an airplane.
My only reactions in the past ten years have been outside my home when given erroneous information to my questions that should have kept me safe.
I’m not sure whether I agree with banning; I agree that its really not a hardship to go without peanuts, but also that the risk is pretty small (as bob noted).
I also know that saying “need to take their own precautions” is nearly impossible if you don’t have a direct hand in preparations when it comes to food or what will be around you in a certain setting.

I am the mother of a severely allergic child who has had to reaction episodes to peanuts – the 1st when he was 2 and the 2nd when he was 3. Both times it was from the smell of peanuts, the 2nd from another child he was sitting beside who had consumed PB 5 hours earlier. Each episode means that subsequent exposures will be more severe, and with even less allergen present. Thank you for this article, as it reminds me to ensure I investigate the airlines policy the next time I fly with my son. The issue with peanut consumption on airplanes is much life cigarette smoke – the air is recycled and my child could breathe in the allergen if someone in another part of the plane is eating them and this could be potentially fatal for him. I do not take my son into bulk food stores for the specific purpose one poster already identified – peanuts are stored in bins that are opened constantly. The grocery store is a potential hazard, should a jar break open with my child in the vicinity and I recently asked our city officials to have the peanut dispensing machines removed from public places with absolutely no trouble at all. I always carry an epipen and hope that I am prepared for any eventuality, but if I was on a long flight and my child was exposed, the epipen itself will not save him. The epipen buys us time to get him to the hospital and we’ve been told we have 10-15 minutes tops. And then he may go into a coma from which he may never arouse. He is 3.5 and deserves to be safe. Banning peanuts from airplanes does not present a hardship to others – allowing them could kill someone. Is it reasonable? Absolutely. I don’t buy the “where does it stop?” argument. You do what is reasonable. It is not reasonable to ban peanut products from grocery stores, but I am confident in my ability to respond appropriately in that eventuality.

@Manjari – it may not seem like a big deal to remove peanuts from airplanes, but if it becomes regulation, you’d be surprised how high the cost becomes. (Policies in place to assure nothing with peanut products or made in a facility with peanuts, audits, inspections, etc.) That’s why I like the idea of the airlines deciding if they will go peanut-free, and I especially like the way Jet Blue handled the case Lauren spoke of.

I think the risks outweigh the benefits of peanuts on airlines. As long as they also enact a ban on fragrances too.

As an adult with tree nut and seed allergies, I’d like to interject here. Aside from the risk of inhalation of peanut residue (which is small, yes), there is a very real concern over the peanut oil that is left on hands and then spread about the cabin of the aircraft. The tables and armrests, the door handles to the bathroom, etc are not cleaned after every flight and can easily transfer to a person with the allergy.

My husband has to wash his face and hands after eating any sort of tree nut and I have found myself feeling quite dizzy and lightheaded just by the smell of sesame oil when a very dear friend of mine continuously breaks out a bag of TJ’s sesame crackers (and this probably wouldn’t be an issue if she herself had to deal with food allergies).

I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve gotten flack from people in an event where I chose to protect myself from an allergen exposure by avoiding a situation (eg: going out to lunch to a place that serves a lot of sesame or nut foods). This attitude never comes from someone that deals with food allergies! It’s more than frustrating and creates an atmosphere of mistrust! If this occurs with people that know and love a person, think of how difficult it is in the world where people think allergies are exaggerated and/or bogus!

I truly empathize with parents that have children with severe allergy to peanuts and would not mind at all if they impose a ban on peanuts on a flight because we have an allergic kid or adult. I can always eat them after the plane lands and like the author pointed out my quality of life will not be diminished if I don’t eat them.

I just don’t see this as feasible.

Airlines will probably resist this move because while they can easily reassure they don’t serve peanuts, they won’t be able to verify passengers are not bringing their own peanut products on board or have consumed peanuts earlier in the day. There will be huge issues of liability if airlines give a customer a promise of perceived safety, when they truly can not deliver.

If a ban were to go through there will be other issues: stopping the sale of peanut products in airport lounges, having another level of security searches to check for contraband foods, filtering the air in the cabins, cleaning public surfaces, etc.