Is it risky for me to fly from the US to New Zealand with a severe peanut allergy?

I read a study from American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which said there is "no evidence" that peanut dust becomes airborne. However, I have read several news articles about people with severe nut and peanut allergies having bad reactions:

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/co-down-mum-could-died-23332855

In another case, a 14 year old girl had a reaction that caused her to lose consciousness after a passenger kept eating nuts next to her:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10893187/Call-airline-peanut-ban-girl-14-collapses-mid-flight.html

I know that in science, a lack of evidence of something happening under controlled conditions doesn't mean that something isn't possible or doesn't happen. For a long time, there was also no evidence that germs existed. Blaming the reactions on "hysteria" seems like ableism to me, similar to how people used to blame ME/CFS on "laziness". With the peanut allergy on flights, I'm not sure there's an ethical way to properly test this.

I developed a severe peanut allergy when I was 10. I'm 35 now. I went into anaphylaxis from eating two milk chocolate m&m's that had traces of peanut. I developed this allergy shortly after my last ever flight. I've never eaten actual peanuts.

I have family in New Zealand, which is very far away from me. I haven't visited them ever since I was 10. Is flying too risky for me? I'm going to be flying over the ocean most of the flight, and all my Epi Pens do is give me an extra 20 or so minutes to get to the hospital.

17 comments

you could probably use a fit-tested elastomeric respirator to filter out those particles!
I think a P100 filter should be able to take care of your problem, as I've heard many people use them for allergies.
there's also the added bonus of COVID/insert pathogen protection since airports and airplanes are a leading cause of super-spreaders

I'd contact the airline and see what they say. I've been on a flight before where one of the passengers had a severe peanut allergy so there were none on board, and an announcement was made warning not to consume them during the flight.

Is flying too risky for me?
Sounds lile "Yes."
I'm going to be flying over the ocean most of the flight, and all my Epi Pens do is give me an extra 20 or so minutes to get to the hospital.
I hear you saying that if the airline or a random passenger screws up, you get to die horribly.
I wouldn't risk it.
I want to encourage you that you have every right to say "that doesn't feel safe" rather than risk it.
You don't have to risk it if you don't want to.
I generally don't take any "I might die horribly" risks, myself, when I can avoid them.

Is wearing some legit respirator mask an option?

This is not medical advice
Ask your doctor
Talk to the airline. They can at least tell you if they carry peanuts on their flights. And you should inform them if you go, to make sure the crew knows
On overnight flights they often serve one or two full meals. I don't recall being served peanuts on one, but it's possible some of their meal options include nuts
- Very much this. Talk to the airline as well. This falls under 'special needs requests'.
  I've already flown flights where the cabin crew announced "We have a patient with severe peanut allergy on the flight. We will not be handing out any peanuts and we kindly ask all passengers to refrain from opening any they may have brought on board."

Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.
Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.
That aside, surely you wouldn't trust the answers given here? It'd be very silly to take seriously a forum comment on such a serious topic. Ask a doctor.

You should seek advice from a doctor, or perhaps a community for people with allergies.
I've noticed that many flights hand out pretzels instead of nuts. Perhaps there is a way to find out which airlines and witch flights do this.
- Finding a flight that doesn't serve peanuts might improve the probability of avoiding an allergic reaction, but a passenger could easily board the flight with their own peanuts. According to OP, the epi pens only give them 20 mins to get to a hospital, which is not within reach when flying over the Pacific Ocean. It might not even be within reach when flying over land considering landing procedures for an airliner.

I would say to go on the flight but be prepared just in case. Have an epi pen with you, Benadryl, whatever you need to recover when the reaction hits. You could even wear a mask if the people around you are eating peanuts. For me i would go ahead with your trip and not let the possibilities stop you from living your life as you want.
- Re epi pens, and apologies if this is a stupid question - could people for whom they help after a reaction potentially use them as a preventative measure? ie use the pen before any reaction takes place, to try and stop one happening at all?
  I'm sure the answer is no, or else that would be what people did, but it occurred to me.
  
  Taking an oral steroid like prednisone can help prevent asthma attacks for milder allergies, but that might not be sufficient for a severe peanut allergy.
  Epinephren is not a gentle drug. You do not want to have to use an epi pen if you can avoid it. It causes the heart to race and result in lots of side effects that would make a flight extremely uncomfortable. I think it's also metabolized quickly enough that a single dose is not going to last a whole flight.
  I'm not an expert though, I just have multiple family members with moderate to severe allergies.

This, but tell the flight attendants when getting on the plane about your allergy and the precautions you’ve taken, where your epi pen is….etc
- Do that, but also contact the airline before you buy tickets to see if they're able to take additional precautions. They probably will, and make sure the flight crew is well aware and has the information they need to take care of you in case something goes wrong.

If you can smell something, part of it is airborne. Pretty sure I know what peanuts smell like.
I've been on a lot of flights and never been served peanuts since the 90s. I was under the impression they did not serve peanuts on flights any more but those stories you linked say otherwise, but of course you can't stop people bringing their own.
I think you have to speak to a doctor and maybe see what the options are.

17 comments