Just Thoughts and Nothing Else

Put two people in a room one with a peanut allergy and one with a gun. Which of the two is in worse danger? Both are equally dangerous, but with the gun you have the choice not to pull the trigger! With an allergy to peanuts you are at anyone’s mercy, anyone who just opens the shell!

Congress has given Department of Transportation mixed signals on this issue. Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities by U.S. and foreign air carriers, and The DOT require airlines to accommodate travelers with disabilities unless doing this would cause an “undue burden” or require the airline to “fundamentally alter its services”.  But in 1999, when Department of Transportation informed airlines that this applied to peanut allergies, Congress withdrew DOT Department of Transportation funding for any restriction on airline peanut practices.  Usually funding restrictions like this last for only one year, but Senator Richard Shelby, the Senator from Alabama responsible for adding this item to DOT's 1999 appropriations bill, worded the restriction to apply to funding “under this Act or any other Act.” DOT has clarified that it realizes that this language means the restriction is still in effect – a move that was praise by two Representatives of Georgia,Sanford Bishop Sanford Bishop and Jim Marshall But there’s another way in which the 1999 funding restriction was unusual:  The restriction applies only “until 90 days after submission to the Congress and the Secretary [of Transportation] of a peer-reviewed scientific study that determines that there are severe reactions by passengers to peanuts as a result of contact with very small airborne peanut particles of the kind that passengers might encounter in an aircraft. So, it comes down to whether there’s data about the seriousness of the problem. 
As a semi frequent traveler and the grandmother of 12 grand-kids and 7 of them with multiple food allergies, I understand how complicated this type of rule making can be. The “rights” of the peanut allergy sufferer are in direct conflict with the “rights” of the passengers that want to eat peanuts. We have decided to travel on airlines that don’t give snacks rather than to avoid flying all together, but most times we will just go short distances to make sure the kids are safe. This is not always a reasonable option for everyone since it can be very time consuming driving vs. flying.
Then as my grandson’s get older and they will start to entertain the idea of traveling, they can’t reasonably get to far destinations via car.  So we choose our airlines carefully, carry multiple Epi-pens, pack their food from home, and we all pray.
It’s a very scary proposition being 35,000 feet in the air over the open ocean, knowing that each Epi-pen is effective for approximately 10-15 minutes. We wiped down the seat, headrest, seat in front of us, window and then one of us acts as his buffer to the food cart.
This is a scary and risky proposition with a 10, 8,7,6,5,4 &3 year olds who can’t always quickly determine their own symptoms.
The problem with peanuts and tree nuts is that they are dry and flaky so can readily become airborne. Their oils are sticky and stubborn so they can endure even through a vigorous scrub with soap and water. Our Clorox wipes are always in our purses, diaper bags and emergency bags!
Some of my grandsons are also allergic to wheat, milk and eggs. Nobody talks about banning them because they don’t have the above mentioned properties of peanuts and tree nuts. But with one of my grandsons, his wheat allergy is so severe that his mom fears for his life every single time he is around any other children that even have a sandwich, so for her, travel is out of the question. One of my grandsons was allowed to try lunch at school just to try to let him have a normal life, and the first Friday that they had this egg sandwich day at school just because he was sitting at the table where others were eating this sandwich and touching the table, and he would touch it afterwards, the reaction was so severe that almost a week later he was still having reactions. Luckily when he told his teacher that his throat feels like he can’t swallow, she called his mom immediately (because they are all aware of his allergies) and she not only had to rush to school to pick him up, but she had to keep him on Benadryl  for two weeks to get it out of his system and that was just from being at the same table.  Somehow, it’s chemical factors were airborne and left residue. Imagine if he had ingested it?
He now has to sit at his own table by himself or with another child who has the same allergies as him.  He does go home for lunch now on the egg day.

Traveling the world is an invigorating and enlightening experience that many would argue is as important as the structured education that we experience from 12-16+ years. Many people have to travel for work and others are required to relocate to keep their employment, then back to the question of your rights or mine, I prefer to live in an educated, enlightened, fulfilled, and respectful society.

If my donut is going to set off your diabetes, I will gladly forgo the donut for six, twelve or even twenty four hours. I can live without it even if I don’t know you!
Everyone can live without peanuts and tree nuts. So let’s be reasonable and let all safely travel. Ban the nuts and see how many more families get on board. Airline revenues will probably go up and that’s a good thing.
I’ve flown only once with my grandson who has severe peanut allergies, and as they started to pass out the peanuts I asked the young man sitting next to me if he would please just refrain from even accepting them or opening that bag of peanuts while my grandson is sitting here and he obliged me once I explained why.
Please go to; http://www.FoodAllergiesToGo.com for my more airline specific opinions regarding food allergies and food allergy friendly restaurants in many corners of the world.

So next time, before you decide to open that bag of peanuts, try to think which is more dangerous, a gun or a peanut, and please think again!
By:
 Jan