It's no joke! Cobb school bans peanuts (FReep the poll! Please!)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 8.7.02 | MARY MACDONALD

[mhking]

It's no joke! Cobb school bans peanuts

By MARY MACDONALD
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

The classic childhood lunch, a PB&J on white bread, will be confiscated on sight this year at one of Cobb County's elementary schools.

So will peanut butter crackers and cookies, peanut butter cups and anything else containing Georgia's top-selling homegrown snack.

The ban on all things goober is no joke. Several children entering Smyrna's Nickajack Elementary School this year have allergies so severe they are life-threatening, said new Principal Constance Carter. Some people are so allergic that even breathing peanut dust can trigger a reaction.

Carter banned peanut products from the campus, including bake sales and bag lunches carried in by children.

The action is unusual but not unheard of. King Springs Elementary School, also in Smyrna, banned peanut products for similar reasons last year. Teachers and a few schools nationwide have done the same thing for children with severe allergies.

Petra White, a Nickajack mom of two girls, thinks most parents will sympathize.

"It's not like they have to have a peanut butter sandwich three times a week," she said. "I don't have a problem keeping peanuts out of their lunches."

The habit may be hard for other parents to break. Peanut butter is a staple for fussy children and a standby in the lunchroom.

Cafeteria workers rely on it for field trip bags because it's portable protein.

"Peanut butter really is a standard," Carter said.

[Saturnalia]

What I'd like to know is why kids have such a nasty reaction to peanuts in the first place.

[evolved_rage]

But every day is Cobb Salad day ;)

[Dakmar]

Someone needs to ask these Einsteins how much peanut dust is coming from peanut butter.

[mlocher]

Cafeteria workers rely on it for field trip bags because it's portable protein

there is a clinton joke here somewhere...

[Tennessee_Bob]

A little boy in my daughter's preschool had a terrible reaction, to the point where the EMT's had to come in and evac him to the hospital. She was all of about 4 when that happened, and she insisted on no more peanut butter in the snacks I packed for preschool.

[RightWhale]

why kids have such a nasty reaction to peanuts in the first place.

Some do. In most cases where there is a reaction it is mild like a rash and depends on the amount ingested. There seem to be allergies to a lot of things these days, way more than 50 years ago. Might be junk in the air, in the water, or in the food that increases sensitivity.

[Saturnalia]

I know about the severity that effects the poor children, I just want to know if ANYONE knows the cause behind it.
i.e. pesticide reaction, genetic deficiency, other environmental exposure, etc.

[MarkL]

This is why so many airlines have gone to pretzels, rather than peanuts. I've heard of a case of someone going into anaphalctic shock from the dust of peanuts in the air of a plane. I don't know if it's actually true, or if it's a "it could happen" sort of situation.

Mark

[Minutemen]

How come you never hear of a kid alergic to Big Macs, french fries or taco bell??

[cajun-jack]

the kids that are allergic to peanut products come from staunchly republican conservative families and anything associated with jimmuh cahtah causes an adverse reaction.

[Consort]

"This will not be tolerated" "Can't we all get along?" "How about a Billy beer?"

[Fraulein]

The airlines are next!

[Not_Who_U_Think]

"Might be junk in the air, in the water, or in the food that increases sensitivity. "

I've long suspected immunizations as the possible source of increased allergies and asthma cases.

What a bummer to grow up without peanut butter.

[Dakmar]

That's interesting. I was in no way trying to poke fun at this allergy with my earlier comment, it just seems odd that peanut butter would be shedding enough dust to cause a reaction. It seems like it would be an almost infinetessimal(sp?) amount, like what would be found outside a grocery store, for instance.

[NewHampshireDuo]

At least some airlines have dropped the classic bag-o'-peanuts snack. The last few flights I've been on it's been mini pretzels, a poor substitute IMHO. I have pledged that from now on I'll carry on a ziploc full of nuts, at least until security develops a screen to detect them in my bag.

[Minutemen]

I can hear it now: "Are you declaring any peanuts or other legumes on your person?"

[Fraulein]

How come you never hear of a kid alergic to Big Macs, french fries or taco bell??

Don't know, but the poor souls are allergic to these:

[SamAdams76]

This is ridiculous. Peanuts and peanut butter are very nutritious. A peanut butter sandwich contains no cholesterol and has healthy amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats which are very good for you. Peanut is a "plant" food which should even make vegetarians happy.

What are kids supposed to do now? Bring in bologna and cheese sandwiches which are very high in saturated fats and cholesterol? No wonder we have such an obesity problem in this country.

So a few kids are allergic to peanuts. Just set aside a "peanut free" table in the cafeteria.

[Minutemen]

But what about the poor folks that are allergic to jelly?

[Fraulein]

I attended Cobb County public schools (no joke), and the only thing that I was ever allergic to was my Cobb County school.

[RightWhale]

How come you never hear of a kid alergic to Big Macs, french fries or taco bell??

I have thought this for some time, but it is hard to prove and not a popular topic at all. A lot of overweight problems could be due to food allergy. If you feel some bloat coming on, consider what you just ate. A lot of times it is ordinary food, but it might be a particular brand of store bread or potato chips. Pork rinds might have no effect at all other than curing hunger, while corn chips in a certain kind of oil might really mess up your system for a day. In particular the low-fat diets use other substances that might lead to the exact opposite effect from what is desired. Fat, in moderation, is a necessary nutrient, but some vegetable oil substitutes could cause problems. That's just my opinion such as it is.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Some people are so allergic that even breathing peanut dust can trigger a reaction.

THERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BREATH IT! there supposed to eat it so i guess the ones that dont suffer hafta because there are those who do suffer

BRING ON THE SKIPPYS AND GET AWAY FROM MY SPOON.

[dennisw]

How come I never heard about this **** when I was little? Now the great state of Georgia, with all it's peanut farmers, is going to knuckle under to a few alergic kiddies. One school after another. The world get's crazier every day.

[mhking]

My son is allergic to PB. He doesn't eat it, period. He gets violently ill if he does. My daughter isn't, my wife isn't, and I'm not. [shrug]

The thing that I can't fathom is the "peanut dust" thing. I had never heard of that - my son's allergy has never prevented us from having PB in the house, nor from me eating peanuts fairly regularly (and no, not those boiled things that look like peanuts that a baby has drooled on to lick off all the salt either!).

At first glance the "prohibition" sounds like more disability nazis at work to me.

[dennisw]

Put all the peanut kids at their own table in the cafeteria. Tell the parents to give them brown bag lunches and leave the rest of the children alone. Why should the weak impose on the normal?

Normal as far as allergies that is. This is victimology and parading it around as a badge of honor.

[Dakmar]

And you thought us libertarians were crazy when we were ranting about the government setting up a Peanut Enforcement Agency. :-)

[exDemMom]

I do not know why people develop allergies, but here is some food for thought.

First of all, people are not necessarily prone to developing more allergies than they were 50 or 100 years ago. We have two things going on here: people are living longer, which causes the apparent increase in incidence of many conditions. The corollary to this is that people are surviving conditions which once would have been fatal, which also causes an apparent increase in the number of people with said condition (asthma comes to mind). The other thing is that people are exposed to a greater variety of food than they once were, thus are in contact with more potential allergens.

Next, an allergic reaction is mediated by antibodies whose purpose is to protect us from parasites. These are NOT the same antibodies that protect us from bacterial or viral illnesses. The most compelling hypothesis I have encountered on the subject of developing allergies is that our lifestyles are too clean: in general, we sterilize everything that comes into contact with our babies, and do what we can to raise children in an aseptic environment. Because these children have such clean surroundings, their immune systems are not being sufficiently challenged by the things which should challenge them, and are turning against innocuous substances, e.g. peanut butter. I really don't know what to think of this hypothesis. I'm allergic to several foods, but I can't honestly say that my background growing up on a chicken ranch was exactly aseptic.

Last, I believe there is a strong genetic component to developing allergies. My father had asthma, often a type of allergic reaction, as a child--could that have contributed to my very unpleasant food allergies? My ex-brother-in-law had severe, life-threatening allergies, and his daughter, my niece, is one of the sickest children I have ever seen, due to severe, life-threatening asthma and allergies to food and pets.

A person can develop allergies at any time during their life. I was never allergic to anything until I reached my twenties. Interestingly, many children suffer allergies which they later outgrow.

[Dakmar]

well, like all allergies, I suppose some react worse than others. It still seems far fetched that a peanut-butter sandwich at forty yards would be enough to cause a reaction. There has to be ambient trace amounts of peanut dust almost everywhere.

[gc4nra]

"I've long suspected immunizations as the possible source of increased allergies and asthma cases."

In part I think you're right, but I think it's also due to our phobia with germs. Everything is antibacterial, antiseptic etc. Kids are not exposed to anything any more(they aren't even allowed to eat dirt) so their bodies don't build up any immunity.

[Dianna]

Put all the peanut kids at their own table in the cafeteria. Tell the parents to give them brown bag lunches and leave the rest of the children alone. Why should the weak impose on the normal?

But they're just kids. Kids with severe allergies to normal stuff have a hard enough time, I don't think we need to treat them like lepers. I suspect the largest problem is that the peanut butter gets on hands which is then transfered all over the place.

It might be irritating, but for me the bottom line is this...if I insisted upon sending a PB&J sandwich to school and some little allergic kid died because my son is a slob, could I live with myself? Nope.

[brat]

Another example of the many having to sacrifice for the few. I know alot of people...I've never met one allergic to peanut products.

[brat]

"This goes too far"....98% BTTT

[MedicalMess]

Fungus......

There is a fungus associated with peanuts that may actually be the cause. If someone wants to do a search on this I believe this can be confirmed.

[cva66snipe]

I would guess the answer is up till fairly recently the cause was misdiagnosed a Asthma attacks. If it is an airborn reaction that would explain the dust being a problem and respitory reactions. I'm allergic to mold spores and certain pollens myself. Respitory allergic reactions are likely the most common types as they would enter the blood stream the quickest through the lungs.

As for peanut products? Peanut oil allergies are pretty common as are food allergies including some dyes or even coconut. But I would say peanut butter itself has less than a .001% chance of putting off dust unless it has completely dried out into a powder state.

[ivegotabrain]

Darn Tootin'! Peanut butter is also CHEAP! Beats the heck out of expensive lunchmeats and tuna or egg salad that no normal kid will eat.

[FreedomFriend]

I have substitute taught at this school. How about that.

[FreedomFriend]

I stand corrected. I have subbed at both schools.

[spodefly]

I admit I am lacking in sensitivity to this particular ailment.

First of all, I grew up on and around peanut farms in South Georgia.

Secondly, I can understand that ingesting peanuts might cause a reaction in people susceptible in some way to them. But peanut butter? Dust from oily peanuts covered in salt? The particulate matter emanating from such products can't be more than 1 part per billion, if that. How sensitive can these people be?

I can see that peanut shells might have a dust product that might aggravate some people ... I have washed a ton of it out of my hair after a harvest and drying ... but the actual peanut itself? I have a hard time seeing it throwing off dust or anything that can affect someone from across a room.

Delta Airlines (based in Georgia) quit serving peanuts on its planes almost 5 years ago. I remember the first flight when I was handed a bag of pretzels ... I asked the Flight attendant for peanuts instead. She mentioned then that they had stopped serving them because some people were allergic.

My reaction: "Bull%$#&!! How is it that we have been serving peanuts on planes for 50 years and now suddenly people are allergic?" She was not amused. Subsequent introspection precipitated by my reflexive response revealed to me that maybe I am not especially sensitive to this plight. The mechanics of it defy me.

I can see that eating peanuts at the baseball game will be going away soon.

[FreedomFriend]

You can say that again.

[sonserae]

Peanuts are the most allergic food in the world. There are many people and children who die if they eat peanuts. I'm very allergic...They can't take the chance by serving it to all children in schools.

[two23]

There is plenty on the internet about peanut allergy:

http://www.google.com/search?q=peanut+allergy

[FreedomFriend]

(and no, not those boiled things that look like peanuts that a baby has drooled on to lick off all the salt either!).

You don't like boiled peanuts? They're delicious.

[foto]

Seen the same thing. My brother became allergic to peanut butter 3 years ago at the the age of 34 and was rushed to hospital. He talked to the doctor and then told me he ate some bad or old or infected peanuts with some sort of fungus/mold and thats what did it. Now he can't eat soybean products or peanut products.
Also heard that you shouldn't feed it to kids under 3 years old. If you feed it to them any earlier they become allergic
to it or so it is said.

[DentsRun]

But what about the poor folks that are allergic to jelly?

I read about a teacher who was alergic to perfume. She used to stand in the doorway and sniff the girls as they filed in to class. The girls didn't like it. Thought it was demeaning.

[MedicalMess]

Followup on Fungus rot in peanuts...

Aspergillus niger... on antibiotic Rx listings and pathogenic to humans.

Theilaviopsis basicola
Marcophomina phaseolina
Rhizoctonia solani
Pythium species
Phymatotrichum omnivorum
Fusarium species

Source of documentation... Oklahoma State University in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture

[cva66snipe]

I did some looking. About 100 persons a year die from this allergy. It does seem to be a fungus as the actual cause which I think would explain the respitory reaction. Here's a line or two I found just on a quick look.

"The major concern is that aflatoxin is a by product of mold and is frequently present in peanuts even if they are grown organically."

[MedicalMess]

Refer to post 47 in this thread.

[cva66snipe]

What I can't understand is if this threat is that serious why choose the peanut capitol of the south {Georgia} in which to live? Plenty of peanuts grown there. I think for the sake of air spores I would move a bit north.