Talking Allergies

Here's the link to the press release: http://www.edmonton.ca/citygov/newsrls/rls0283.pdf

I saw the report on Global's local Calgary news, and there was footage of "people on the street" reactions. One said that rather than having the peanut ban, the peanut-allergic should just avoid games at the stadium. Grr. My husband and I were discussing it, and he equated it to banning smoking. Now if only we could help people to understand this.

I don't like the title of this article, but there are some good points: http://edmsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/ ... 90410.html

Marla

Thanks Marla for the articles!
I am a huge Edmonton Eskimos fan and have been for over 10 years.
This year my Dad and I got season tickets for the first time and I was sooo happy with the ban!!!
I think these types of bans are more important for outdoor facitlites where people are in close contact with each other. All you need is a wind gust to have a peanut shell in your face or the crumbs from the shells. The smell of peanuts really bothers me too.
That guy who said that peanut allergic fans should just avoid the games altogether simply doesn't realize how common of an allergy this really is! There were over 27,000 fans at the game last night, I think i could safely bet that at least 5,000 people there have peanut allergies (1/4 of the people). The seats are also in close proximity, if you've the guy next to you and the behind you eating a bag of peanuts, it makes for a very stressful situation.
I commend Commonwealth Stadium for have the guts to stand up for their patrons and make this decision, I just hope that they won't back out if too many people complain.
By the way, the ban didn't seem to have an overall affect on attendance. It was cold and rainy last night AND it was a pre-season game right in the middle of the Oilers hoopla. This was an amazing crowd for conditions like that!
I really think that the media should be careful in what they write and research! It should be mentioned the percentage of people, especially kids, that have peanut allergies, which has a really potent smell.
That Edmonton Sun article made me so upset! It's ignorant people like that that make it hard for us to avoid reactions! (I promptly wrote him an e-mail and urge others to do likewise).

Caroline

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Anaphylaxis to fish, nut, peanuts, soy, birch, and grass.
OAS

This is what gets me: people can't give up eating peanuts for a couple of hours? Out of respect for others? It's too much to ask, I suppose, in this day and age of selfishness.

The only way this will stop is if there are enough people with allergies. Then they will get it. Does it have to come to that? Like smoking in restaurants and making waitresses sick? There was a time when people thought it was their god-given right to smoke in restaurants, blowing smoke your way while you were eating. This is finally changing here in Canada. Not elsewhere yet though. My MIL was on a trip in the Caribbeans and an old American woman was smoking at the next table. My MIL asked her to put her cigarette out because she is asthmatic. The lady told her "Too bad, just move, because I'm not going to stop". Such kindness.

If this "I.Diotte" (sorry, I meant to say K.Diotte )'s son or daughter suddenly became allergic, I bet he'd have written a completely different story, saying how wonderful it was that the stadium was now peanut-free.

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Well, the Eskimos season is over halfway done and people are still gripping about the ban. I constantly hear people sitting around me complain about banning peanuts and how the one kid with peanut allergies who started all this should just stay home!
It makes me so mad that people are so insensitive! It's not a huge deal to me because i'm 21 and know how to deal with peanuts around me cuz i've been allergic since i was 5. But I'm sure that i'm not the only one in the Stadium with peanut allergies.
Another thing that upsets me is that the ban is very inconsistent. The stadium only bans peanuts that are in their shells. Howver, people can still eat (and buy!!) chocolate bars with peanuts in them and those ice cream cone things with the peanuts on the top. This makes the critics even more upset. Why are certain types of peanuts ok and not others?

Caroline

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Anaphylaxis to fish, nut, peanuts, soy, birch, and grass.
OAS

We should give them a choice about having peanuts banned or alcohol... You'll see how fast they'll ditch the peanuts then!

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Thanks for the update, Caroline. For me, this is why bans in public places just can't work. It really is almost impossible to enforce. Obviously peanuts haven't been totally banned from the stadium - just some forms of peanuts.

In my opinion, if would make more sense to have one section that was totally food free. That way, anyone who had difficulties with food would at least be in a zone where they didn't have to be so worried about food. So-called bans on peanuts don't help those who are severely allergic to other foods like dairy and such. And as your story implies, it could even create a backlash against those with allergies, rather than anything positive. (That's a terrible thing to say that the child should just stay home...)

I agree that it would be nice if people could give up things like peanuts for a short period of time to keep others' safe, but let's be honest -- not everyone is that cooperative. Some people get it, some don't. Some don't even want to try to get it. And a ban on peanuts isn't going to make them get it.

For my family, the list that we'd like to avoid in the big wide world at the moment is pretty long (peanuts, nuts, eggs, dairy). But I really don't expect the whole world to give up these things in public places just because they are unsafe for my kids. It just isn't realistic. Again, who is going to enforce it? I'm better off making sure that my kids are able to keep themselves safe by not sharing foods, washing their hands before eating, etc.

In schools and daycares where there are young children who cannot yet adequately self-protect, and where it is a more controlled environment -- where someone can actually enforce a policy of not having certain kinds of foods -- it does make sense. But in a huge stadium? I just don't think it can work.

Did everyone see the policy statement called "Anaphylaxis Management" put out the by groups that worked on the national anaphylaxis guidelines? It's available from the Allergy Safe Communities website at

http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/as ... une_06.pdf

K.

P.S. I know this is a contentious issue, and I respect the fact that others may have different opinions. This is my opinion.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Well, I'm guessing that the rationale behind the peanuts in the shell ban might be that shelling peanuts puts peanut dust into the air . . . and then people step on the shells putting more peanut dust into the air.

People have gone to the hospital from the dust from people shelling peanuts in their vicinity. So in my view it is an accessibility issue.

Caroline,

I'm curious - how was the ban communicated to the fans? Were posters just put up saying "no peanuts in shells"?

When you say there's griping - you mean fans actually sit there talking about it instead of watching the game? (Were they that attached to peanuts?) Or is this stuff you're reading in the newspaper, hearing on the radio?

/Gwen

It was big in the media here prior to the ban taking effect. I've seen it on the news and in various newspapers. Not certain of what is in place at the stadium itself. I know a co-worker was griping about it after her husband found out they quit selling peanuts. Oh boo hoo (I got into a large verbal confrontation with her over this as she was one who thought :they should just stay home!)

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ds 6: ana to peanuts and fish, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, many environmental
dd 12: reacted to pork rinds
dh: brazil nuts
me: shrimp, mangos, environmental

Further to this point made by Karen,

did people read the column by Laurie Harada in the new Allergic Living issue? It's about what's fair to expect of non-allergic people and she talks about sectioning off one part of a baseball park as a better idea.

I see her point about trying to get concessions on controlling peanuts in situations where they can be "controlled" (maybe the Edmonton stadium is one where it's hard to control because it's a whole stadium). But despite what she says and what Karen says, I'm really torn on this subject.

I honestly would feel better if more sports arenas and places like pubs were peanut-free. Maybe you can't be certain nobody else brought in peanuts, but at least there would be a lot fewer of them around to accidentally touch. But I'm still undecided as to whether it's workable - mostly because I still think too many people don't really understand the seriousness of allergies. Look at all the people who seem to think it's a fad.

deleted slightly grumpy-sounding post

Gwen,

The wording is "no peanuts allowed in the stadium." It is listed under banned items in the fan guide and their is a PA announcement outside the stadium when arriving at the game. It informs us that bags will be checked for weapons, alcohol, and peanuts and that they will be confiscated. And yes, earlier in the season people actually were talking about it instead of watching the game (usually when someone would take out a bag of sesame seeds or cashews or something), they would mention how they would rather eat peanuts and such.
In the Edmonton Journal, there is a feature a few times a week called Venting, where people write in short vents about anything bothering them and there have been a few vents both for and against the ban over the summer. It seems to be calming down now though, now that people are used to it.
I agree with Karen that it would make much more sense to have a nut/peanut free section or a food free section (Sobey's sponsors a family section which is alcohol free - perhaps it could become nut free too?).

Carolline

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Anaphylaxis to fish, nut, peanuts, soy, birch, and grass.
OAS

I'm curious - did things calm down? Did people "get used to" the peanut-free (or reduced) stadium?