Deadly Allergy

Anectdotal Cases of Airborne and Contact Allergy to Peanut and Other Allergens – more to come, check back soon!

Wauwatosa becomes the first Wisconsin city to put up food allergen awareness signs at its parks – “Rebecca Schlei, a Wauwatosa mother, was also happy to see the signs go up. Her 5-year-old is allergic to milk, peanuts and certain tree nuts; her 3-year-old is allergic to milk. She said playgrounds are one of the few open spaces where parents can take young children to be themselves. But contact reactions are high at playgrounds because children often put their hands in their mouths and touch their faces constantly, Schlei said. She said she’s had to leave play areas because of spilled milkshakes, goldfish crackers crushed on the ground, nut shells on benches and even peanut butter on a toy. On one occasion, she had to use autoinjector on one of her kids at a school playground.”

Trained service dog needed for teacher with severe latex allergy – “Crawford is allergic to latex. She has both an airborne and anaphylactic reaction, meaning if she touches it or even smells it, she has a reaction. ‘I’ll get hives and swelling,’ she said. ‘My skin will turn bright red and I’ll have a hard time breathing. My throat will closed up.'”

‘Prank’ sent teacher to hospital fighting for her life after allergic reaction – “‘All of the kids know she’s deathly allergic to bananas,’ the security officer told the police. ‘If it touches her, she will go into anaphylactic shock.’ During lunch, the security staffer said three seventh-graders smeared banana on the teacher’s door, doorknob, and threw them at her while she was inside her classroom. She went into anaphylactic shock within 15 minutes.”

Final photo of dairy allergy schoolboy: Heartbroken mother releases image of 13-year-old dying in hospital after pupil threw cheese down his collar as she tells of ‘living in a black hole’ since death – Karanbir Cheema died in July 2017 after cheese incident at West London school – The 13-year-old’s mother, Rina Cheema, made a decision to turn off life support – She has now described the pain of his death, saying it will haunt her forever – “The cheese thrown at Karan, no bigger than half the size of a Post-It note, caused an ‘extraordinary reaction’ after coming into contact with his skin, one which an expert at the inquest described as ‘unprecedented’ in medical circles. It comes as it was also revealed the incident is now being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, and as Ms Cheema campaigns for schools to educate pupils and staff about the risks of allergies and how to deal with them. At an inquest held into the youngster’s death earlier this year, Senior coroner Mary Hassell recorded a narrative conclusion and said the main factor was his severe allergy. She added the pupil who flicked the cheese did not mean any harm and ‘all of the evidence point to the cheese being responsible for Karanbir’s death.'”

Teen said he meant no harm throwing cheese that led to death of classmate – A teenage student who threw cheese at his classmate who had a severe dairy allergy and later died, did not mean to hurt him, an inquest has heard. Karanbir Cheema, 13, died after suffering a reaction to the dairy product, which landed on his neck during a school break in west London on June 28, 2017. The William Perkin Church of England High School student was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition and died 11 days later.”

‘Under-recognized and under-diagnosed’: Could you be allergic to marijuana? – “One former undercover officer with the Ontario Provincial Police told CTV News that she didn’t know she had a potentially deadly cannabis allergy until she first touched the plants while on the job. ‘We were doing drug eradication, so we were pulling marijuana plants from a field,’ the woman, who asked not to be identified, said. ‘I had a reaction to the plants which I’d never had before and my hands and forearms swelled and I got a really bad rash on them and really bad swelling… I wound up having to go to (an emergency room) because the swelling and the rash was so bad that I actually couldn’t use my hands.’ Even inhaling second-hand marijuana smoke has sent her to hospital. ‘What happens is I get this really sharp pain behind my left eye, it’s excruciatingly painful and it’s just like a hot poker in my eye, and then my chest starts to tighten and my face gets all tingly and my arms and hands and extremities tingle and it feels like there’s just a vice in my chest where I can’t breathe,’ she said. ‘It’s quite scary.’ Now, carrying an EpiPen wherever she goes, the woman worries about being increasingly exposed to marijuana smoke once pot becomes legal. ‘I’m not able to go to concerts,’ she lamented. ‘And once it’s legalized, I’m afraid (of) even just walking down the street.'”

Boy, 3, suffers near-fatal reaction after eating mum’s hidden chocolate – “His allergy is so severe that even touching dairy products can cause the little boy’s skin to break out in boils and hives, so the family are usually incredibly strict with the food they allow in the house. … However, after seven shots of adrenaline Omar’s condition wasn’t improving and he was rushed to hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma as doctors rushed to save him. … The Vaughan’s recently welcomed a fourth child, a baby boy, who has since shown signs of the same deadly allergy.”

Four year-old with allergies hospitalised after Eurowings cabin crew refused to stop selling nuts on board – The family were left shocked that after being told by Eurowings that nuts would not be sold on the Manchester-Dussledorf flight … After take-off, however, the head of the cabin crew refused to stop selling nuts or alert passengers, telling the parents that they should instead “cover his face [or] mouth with something”. … When Corina went to remind the crew, she explained their previous correspondence with ground staff, and how airborne allergens posed a fatal risk to her son. But she was told the crew would not alert passengers to the boy’s allergies or suspend the sale of nuts during the flight. The head of the cabin crew told Corina it was “not their policy to make an announcement or stop selling nuts,” and that “we should instead separate my son from everyone and cover his mouth/face with something”. Corina says: “It was too late for an announcement as nuts had already served and eaten.” As they left the aircraft, her son had developed itchy hives on his skin, which rapidly worsened over the next 10-15 minutes until he was coughing and his eyes were swelling. The airport called an ambulance and the boy was taken to Florence-Nightingale Krankenhaus hospital for a severe allergic reaction, where he was given steroid treatment.”

Deadly allergic reaction to just the smell of cooking fish? Northeast Ohio doctor confirms it can happen – 11 year-old NY child died of severe asthma attack this week

Parents speak out after boy dies from smell of cooking fish in Brooklyn – “An 11-year-old boy died in Brooklyn Tuesday after authorities believe he had an allergic reaction to seafood that was being cooked at the time. The Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death for Cameron Jean-Pierre, who was found unconscious and unresponsive around 7:30 p.m. on East 82nd Street in Canarsie. … The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology warns people with allergies to fish to ‘Stay out of areas where fish is being cooked, as proteins may be released into the air during cooking.'”

This is what it looks like when nuts are served on planes – THIS Aussie mother’s kids feared she would die during a terrifying situation on a flight. Now she’s calling for urgent changes. – “And for those with airborne allergies, it’s not enough to avoid eating or touching a particular product — the reaction happens when sufferers breathe in the allergen, which can be extremely difficult to avoid. Ms Lee said while the number of people who had potentially life-threatening airborne allergies was very small, she wanted to see fewer airborne allergens served in confined spaces, like plane cabins. ‘Long-haul flights are the worst, where I need to carry my own tracheostomy kit in case I need to perform my own surgical airway,’ she said.”

Woman’s deadly cannabis allergy highlights complexity of condo living – Board wrestles with residents’ competing human rights after marijuana ban shot down – “So Schroder carries an EpiPen with her at all times, puts towels under the door, runs two air purifiers, never uses her balcony and largely avoids common areas except the laundry room. When she leaves the building, she said, she crosses the street at the first hint of the smell of pot. ‘There’s a good chance I could go into anaphylaxis and it could be a life-threatening situation.'”

Hiwinui School becomes an egg-free zone for allergic pupil – “Manawatū’s Hiwinui School is all about being inclusive, so much so principal Brenda Leigh didn’t hesitate to make the whole school egg-free for one pupil. That pupil is 5-year-old Nova Middleton, who has a severe egg allergy and can go into anaphylactic shock, even from airborne egg. … Then a year after her first reaction, Nova walked past a pot of poached eggs in the kitchen and went into anaphylactic shock, having inhaled vapor from the pot, so they went cold turkey after that.”

Singapore Airlines stops serving peanuts as snacks on its flights – “In July last year, a three-year-old boy from Australia suffered a potentially fatal allergic reaction on an SIA plane after passengers opened peanut packets handed out by the cabin crew. SIA began a review of its peanuts policy after this incident. Another Australian woman experienced a similar allergic reaction on an SIA flight in 2016 due to “peanut fumes” on the plane. In an incident on a Southwest Airlines flight that occurred in March this year, a nine-year-old boy from Texas suffered a reaction after peanuts were served to passengers. The boy’s mother had to resort to using an epinephrine injection to save the boy’s life. SIA is not the first airline to stop serving peanuts on its planes. Airlines such as Qantas Airways, Air New Zealand and British Airways have already banned peanuts from all their flights.”

Insurer not liable for policyholder’s defense in trucker’s allergy death – “An insurer is not obligated to provide a defense nor indemnification in connection with litigation over the death of a truck driver who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction during a delivery. Anthony Lincoln, allegedly an employee of Ballico, California-based GT Transport Inc., drove a truck owned by the company to a facility operated by Ottawa, Illinois-based Grainco FS Inc. to pick up a load of soybeans, according to Tuesday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court in Chicago in Century National Insurance Co. v. GT Transport Inc. and Grainco FS Inc. Mr. Lincoln was allergic to soybeans, and while he was at the Grainco facility he went into anaphylactic shock and later died, according to the ruling.”

Should peanuts be banned on planes? Mid-air emergency sparks debate – A mother-of-two has backed a call to ban peanuts on planes from the parents of a young boy who suffered a dangerous allergic reaction onboard a Singapore Airlines flight, saying she had a similar experience with the airline. – “Perth teacher Emma Leadon also suffers from anaphylaxis and had a similar experience to the Daley family on a Singapore Airlines flight to England at Christmas. She said she was hit by a strong smell of peanut fumes after opening the toilet door midway through the long-haul flight, as the cabin crew had given each passenger multiple packets of the nuts. ‘I instantly had a reaction, my eyes started to water, my throat started to close and lips started to swell and I got very itchy internally, like I want to scratch my insides out,’ she said. ‘It’s a life and death situation’ The cabin crew gave her a face mask and she wore it for about an hour until the danger passed.”

From the community: Two personal stories on OIT – “One of the scariest reactions that our son had was after drinking hand-squeezed lemonade at an outdoor festival. He is not allergic to lemons or water, but the person who squeezed the lemon must have had peanut residue on her hands. From that point on we realized that food allergen avoidance wasn’t enough.”

Child’s peanut allergy warnings ignored on Southwest Airlines flight to Houston, family says – “A family in The Woodlands said peanuts served on a Southwest Airlines flight set off a severe allergic reaction in their 9-year-old son. Christian’s parents, Chelsia and Derrick Calvert, of The Woodlands, want answers. They say they notified Southwest Airlines of the their son, Christian’s level 6 (most severe) allergy to peanuts when they made their reservation and at the ticket counter. ‘We checked in and made sure they knew about the peanut allergy,’ said Chelsia Calvert, Christian’s mom. ‘It was also on his original ticket.’ … ‘She (an attendant) handed me some peanuts and that’s when, as a mom, I just basically broke down — ‘what do you mean?” said Chelsia Calvert. ‘How many have been handed out?’ The family said the peanut dust in the air of the cabin became life threatening. ‘And so with his throat closing up, we’re making decisions like, OK, we have to do this because this is life or death,’ said Chelsia. Ten thousand feet up in the air, they pulled out an EpiPen and administered it to Christian.”

Edmonton man dies after inhaling walnut particles used in sandblasting – “The family of a man who died from his nut allergy while working at an Edmonton fire hall wants to warn others about the dangers of airborne nut particles in places you wouldn’t expect. On Oct. 2, Justin Mathews went to work at the Rossdale fire station. He was there to test the air quality because another company had just been inside sandblasting old lead paint off the walls. His family said he was inside the building for about 20 minutes when he started having trouble breathing, walked outside and collapsed. He went into anaphylactic shock. ‘He inhaled probably a lot of walnut particles from the walnut blasting compound that was all over there,’ explained Justin’s father, David Mathews.”

‘A balloon, latex gloves, even a field of wheat could kill me’ – “Latex, peanuts and wheat are all potential killers for Miss Hercher, but she does not even have to touch them – the threat can be carried through the air. … Miss Hercher was only diagnosed a year-and-a-half ago, but has already had eight or nine serious reactions, with the worst almost claiming her life as she drove over the Cromarty Bridge. ‘What they possibly think happened is that I passed a field that was being harvested and I went into anaphylaxis on the Cromarty Bridge,’ she explained to the Press and Journal.”

Singapore Airlines to review serving of nuts on flights after toddler suffers allergic reaction to passengers eating peanuts – “They told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday that Marcus was served a nut-free meal but had an allergic reaction after other passengers opened their packets of peanuts, which were served as a snack. ‘He started vomiting, his eyes were starting to swell and he couldn’t speak properly,’ claimed Mr Daley.”

NUT ALLERGY ROW Fight erupts on Ryanair flight from Italy to Dublin after passenger suffers allergic reaction to peanuts – Despite an announcement about the passenger’s allergy, a man sitting beside her opened a bag of peanuts causing her to convulse and collapse

Farm family fights peanut allergy – “This is where the Ferguson family was introduced to Oral Immunotherapy or OIT. In April of this year, the family traveled to San Antonio for Landri’s first dose. Bear in mind, up to this point, Landri has never ingested a single bite of peanuts. Her entire reaction is airborne based.”

Flying with peanut allergies: How airlines react – “It is highly unlikely for a passenger to inhale nut protein from someone consuming nuts a few rows in front of him/her,” said Dr. Matthew Greenhawt, a pediatric allergist at the University of Michigan, according to the [National Peanut] council, which quoted Greenhawt. However, FARE told ABC News that research shows allergic individuals can suffer reactions from inhaled dust particles. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, there have cases of individuals suffering allergic reactions from airborne particles.”

Opinion: Living with rare anaphylaxis as an adult – It’s not funny, despite what you may have seen in the movies – “Unfortunately, I have a very rare anaphylaxis – citrus. To make it more difficult, like those with peanut allergies, I am extremely sensitive to the tiniest amounts and worse still it’s an airborne allergy. That means that I can have a reaction from simply being in the same space as a citrus product. A year ago, I had a massive anaphylaxis reaction to a citrus cleaning spray being used near me. Since then I developed Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS) which means that I am now hyper-sensitive to my known allergens and have difficulties with scents generally.”

I’m Allergic to Weed – It’s real, and I’m miserable. – “I’m allergic to pot. One secondhand whiff of somebody else’s joint and my nose clogs up. I get a headache and I start to itch. And if I’m around enough of it—say at a concert or something—I’m sick the whole weekend, coughing and weak in bed. I’m lucky. Immunologist Dr. Purvi Parikh with Allergy Asthma Associates of Murray Hill in New York says cold-like symptoms are on the milder end of marijuana allergy reactions. ‘Some people get full blown asthma attacks, rashes, and even anaphylaxis.’ To clarify, ‘anaphylaxis’ means anaphylactic shock—as in shutting down your organs, as in death. Now that weed is increasingly decriminalized and ubiquitous, this makes for a whole new issue.”

In Pittsburgh, oral immunotherapy treatment for allergies in its infancy – “Leland Clark, a Butler lawyer whose son, Tristan, had an “off the charts” peanut allergy, had been researching OIT for years. In 2014, his son went into anaphylactic shock while they were driving on Interstate 79, and Mr. Clark had to pull over to give him an EpiPen injection. They had been at a relative’s house where peanuts had been eaten on a couch the night before. Tristan had sat on that couch and must have later ingested residue on his hands. It became clear to Mr. Clark after that incident that avoidance was not going to be a successful strategy.”

Allergy play a tribute to tragic Oswaldtwistle teenager Megan Lee – A PLAY exploring how young people cope living with severe allergies will raise money in memory of an Oswaldtwistle teenager who died earlier this year. A Day in the Life Of, which will be shown at the Civic Arts Centre, follows the real life story of 17-year-old Chloe Fitzpatrick who lives with a severe airborne allergy to strawberries. … All proceeds will go towards the Anaphylaxis Campaign in memory of 15-year-old Megan Lee who died on New Year’s Day from a severe allergic reaction after eating a takeaway meal. Chloe, a Burnley College student who was diagnosed with the allergy when she was two years old, will appear as herself in the production which also stars her sister Lucy, 21, and friend Sophie Guest, 16. Chloe’s sister Sophie Fitzpatrick, a creative project manager at the Civic Arts Centre, said Chloe has been close to death on a few occasions and suffers one or two serious anaphylactic reactions a year which can leave her hospitalised. The 25-year-old said: ‘Her allergy is airborne so she does not have to touch a strawberry to have a reaction. ‘It is so severe that if I bump into a stranger who has just had a strawberry drink and I see Chloe five or six hours later that is enough for her to have a reaction.'”

Bundy nurses save man from air-borne tomato death – “‘I OWE them my life.’ It was a whirlwind flight for Whyalla man David Bryant, who nearly lost his life on a Virgin flight last week. Travelling on the same flight were two Bundaberg nurses, a mother and son, who sprang into action when Mr Bryant had a severe allergic reaction to tomatoes. ‘The big problem is that I’m allergic to airborne tomato particles,’ Mr Bryant told the NewsMail. ‘We had told the airline, but there was nothing in the manifest about it and it wasn’t even anything I ate.'”

Peanut allergy causes student to miss weeks of class – “Logan Gonzalez, 15, has had three allergy attacks at Mount Si High School this school year, and now his parents are questioning if the district should do more to keep their son safe. … Gonzalez says the allergic reactions happened after other kids brought peanut products near her son, including in the classroom and at his lunch table, which is supposed to be peanut-free. Just being around someone who has eaten peanut butter hours earlier is enough to set off a dangerous reaction.”

Urban Planet CEO apologizes to woman fired after an allergic reaction – Employee says she had an allergic reaction on her break – “Duperreault, who was employed at Urban Planet for two months, has an anaphylactic allergy to peppers, including all bell peppers and hot peppers. She’s also allergic to the touch and smell of mangos. ‘If someone is cooking pepper, my throat will close and if I touch a mango my hand will blister,’ she explained.”

Airborne Peanut Allergy Caused by Vaccines? – “My son IS the rare case of having airborne peanut allergy. IT IS not in his head because he hasn’t even been aware of the presence of an allergen until AFTER the reaction. He is not able to go back to church (hot food is always being served and has cross-contaminents that fill the air), nor can he return to baseball. FORGET the fair or Disneyland. FORGET school…we can’t even go to Costco! I took him to the grocery store, left him in the car while I shopped and upon returning to the car, his lip swelled. What could I have picked up in the store? (Except I DID have pass by the bulk peanuts in order to buy strawberries.”

Medical Journal Articles re: Airborne Allergy

Food hypersensitivity by inhalation – “Though not widely recognized, food hypersensitivity by inhalation can cause major morbidity in affected individuals. The exposure is usually more obvious and often substantial in occupational environments but frequently occurs in non-occupational settings, such as homes, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and commercial flights. The exposure can be trivial, as in mere smelling or being in the vicinity of the food. The clinical manifestations can vary from a benign respiratory or cutaneous reaction to a systemic one that can be life-threatening.”

Anaphylaxis in an Airplane After Insecticide Spraying – “We present the first case description of pyrethroid allergy in an airplane.”