Talking Allergies

I just read an article with some interesting facts on the Montreal Metro and it mentioned that they use peanut oil to treat the brake shoes for the metro system.

Would this be dangerous for peanut allergic folks to inhale?

http://www.metrodemontreal.com/faq/trivia.html

I don't know the answer -- but I'd be worried.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

It's strange that I always get cagey when I take the metro and prefer the bus. Never chalked it up to being due to potential exposure to allergens.

Perhaps the AQAA would know more about this. http://www.aqaa.qc.ca/accueil.asp

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

How bizarre. This is what the wikipedia page says about the Métro's famous rubber-tire system:



Never thought someone would need to be asking a public transit authority: is that fully hydrolyzed peanut oil (e.g. proteins removed) or only partially. Any Montrealer feel like putting in an e-mail or call and letting us know?

http://www.stm.info/English/comment/index.htm

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Scary. I'm from Mtl and DS wants to visit there one day and ride the Metro...

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DSs 7,7,9 all PA

Just seeing this now, I think I can drop them off a quick e-mail to see what their response is.. It can't hurt, i'll write it in french of course, or i'll never get a response...

I tried writing a comment in english requesting information from them, if I don't get a response in a week or so I will try writing a letter in french, I know they have a lot more french staff, so I may get a faster response that way...

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I wonder how long they've been using it? I'm sure that there have been many peanut-allergic individuals who have used the transit, so you'd think that if it was a danger then we would have heard something about it because someone would have reacted by now. Our allergist has told us (as have the other 2 we've had) that you can't react from "smelling", so the only danger would be if the protein were aerosolized, which he described as a planeload of people simultaneously opening bags of peanuts on the plane, or hovering over the top of a bulk bin when someone was scooping the peanuts as the only 2 scenarious he knew of that have caused reactions. Would this be any more dangerous than walking by a restaurant that cooks with peanuts? Honestly, I don't think this would ever stop us from using the transit. It'll be interesting to ask our allergist about this specific thing at our next visit.

I live in Montreal and have taken the metro plenty of times without any reactions. Kind of creepy to see all the hidden places peanuts may pop up but my allergists were/are of the same mentality when it comes to reacting to the smell (takes A LOT in order for the proteins to become airborne.)

So if anyone is planning on visiting, don't worry about the metro

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

Well, I didn't really think it could cause a reaction, I still haven't seen a reply. My friend has a peanut allergy and rides the metro to work every day and never had issues, but it really does make you wonder. I was more curious as to how the STM would respond to my queary (which they still haven't done - in english or french) so it may remain a mystery..

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

I got a response! Apparently i'm the first person to ask this question.. this is there response:

"I apologize for the unusual delay in responding to your inquiry. Since your request was the first ever inquiry regarding the use of peanut oil in our breaking mechanism, some research has to be done before we could provide you with an answer.

We have been using peanut oil in our breaking apparatus since the opening of the metro. The breaking mechanism (shoe) is made of wood. The peanut oil is applied under pressure and absorbed in the wood along with a saline solution. This procedure allows the oil to be encapsulated inside the wood fibres. Therefore, the oil is contained and there is no seepage within the breaking system itself. To our knowledge, no problem of this nature has ever been reported.

Best regards."

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

Thanks for the update! I like asking the hard questions

Wow! I'd forgotten about this question! Glad to know they took the question seriously.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

And it didn't sound as if they thought your question was vexatious either.

My husband & I LOVE Montreal - Quebec City too although we get along better in Montreal because we don't speak french except in hockey GO HABS!

We tell everyone to go see cause it's like going to a different country but still being home, I love our country!! I think we should celebrate our differences and I wish I could sing along to the french folk songs in the bars - I love that they just break out of nowhere and everyone smiles and joins in. I just smile. Oh it's been so long, our 25th anniversary is coming hmmmm...

Michele (my mom's family all came to Alberta from Quebec long before she was born)

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Myself - Seasonal, cats
dd-asthma (trigger - flu) anaphylactic to eggs, severe allergies to bugspray and penicilin,pulmicort
ds-Seasonal, cats and OAS
dh-allergy cats, bugspray and guava, outgrew egg allergy