Q. Can I react to the smell of peanut/nuts?
Dr. Ham Pong: You can be assured that anaphylaxis to airborne food particles is very rare. An allergic reaction to food will not occur because someone is eating it in a classroom or vicinity of the allergic person. The main reason for advising that the allergenic food not be brought into a classroom is the potential for an allergic child to accidentally ingest some by sharing food. Secondary reasons (less likely to cause anaphylaxis because of the smaller quantities involved) are cross-contamination of desks, toys etc.
The smell of peanut/nuts or peanut butter does not come from the peanut protein, and therefore allergic reactions should not occur just because you smell peanut or because there is an open jar of peanut butter in the area.
Allergic reactions to peanut occur mostly when the peanut enters the body, either by licking it, tasting it or eating it – for instance, bringing it to your lips, mouth directly, or indirectly by transferring it from your hands or other people’s lips to your mouth or eyes. Therefore, it is important to realize that severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis to peanut generally occur with eating or tasting peanut, and not by touching or smelling it.
In fact, the smell of peanut should cause no allergic reactions at all, but may make a peanut allergic person feel very uncomfortable because he or she is smelling something that is distasteful and potentially dangerous if eaten. It is likely a defense mechanism to warn the peanut allergic person to move away from the area, in case they do get into contact with the peanut accidentally.
The only exception to the above is if peanut protein itself is in the air that you breathe. If a peanut allergic person breathes enough of the peanut protein in the air, the person can have a serious allergic reaction, asthma attack or anaphylaxis. Situations in which this can occur are unusual but can happen. For instance, if a large number of people are opening packages of peanut at the same time – e.g. when peanut packages served on an airplane – and the peanut protein dust gets into the air in an enclosed space.
Other examples would be boiling or frying a food with peanut, as minute peanut particles can then get into the air [through steam or oil particles carrying peanut protein]. Another example could be a floor with large amounts of peanut shells and containing peanut dust where people walking on the shells can stir up peanut dust in the air. (An example would be sports bars.)
However, remember that these reactions might occur only in an enclosed area and with large amounts of peanut dust stirred up in the air, and should not occur with a few peanut shells scattered on the ground, or with one or two people eating peanut next to you. Allergy to inhaled food proteins is rare and may occur in unusual cases. However, it has been reported in some individuals to peanut, wheat, milk, egg, soy, fish, crab.
Dr. Antony Ham Pong is a pediatric allergist practising in Ottawa.
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mahnamama
I’ve turned bright red from being in the same room with people eating shellfish (which I’m allergic to). Could having heated peanuts/shellfish/etc put food particles into the air, or is that just a panic reaction?
pasta514
I have an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. When I ‘smell’ them my solution is to find fresh air. I have had rhinitis symptoms when exposed the vapors of peanuts which are cooked as well as people munching on peanuts while talking or simply chewing with their mouth open. Refering to airborne aerosol proteins I am wondering if prolonged exposure (such as a long airline flight) with true aerosol peanut proteins could trigger a deadly reaction. The reason why I ask is because this question is usually discounted because “there is no recorded case of this ever occuring.” In my case I would argue there is no documented case because people at risk are able to assess the risk and avoid the situation. I will not fly on airlines that serve peanuts. I will not eat any food provided by any airline, even those that are peanut free. It’s just not worth the risk. An allergic reaction ranges from deadly to inconvenient and disruptive. I avoid allergens for the latter as much as the former.
sam8
My 2 year old son had a full-blown reaction to merely the smell of peanut butter spread on a single slice of bread (my reason for reading the article). While at a friend’s very large, airy, clean home, the nanny opened a jar of penut butter while the children played nearby and began spreading it on a slice of bread. Reminding her of my son’s allergy she gladly put the jar away and placed the bread with peanut butter aside which I assumed would be fine. She even washed her hands to be extra cautious. I walked into another room with my son and within one or two minutes he had his strongest reaction to date–swollen eyes, large hives on his face, swollen red nose, scratching at his neck/throat. I had his epi within arm’s reach and we immediately administered a dose of benedryl under his tongue. It was frightening for everyone, but the benedryl worked and he quickly recovered.
Until the jar was opened my son had no symptoms. We had been at the house and twice in the kitchen for over an hour before the jar was opened, and we regularly spend time at this family’s home. I am 100% certain that it was merely the “smell” of peanut butter that caused him to react very strongly. My son’s peanut rast score recently dropped from 20 to 7 so were hopeful of an allergy-free future. I guess that’s not the case.
I know we’re not the only family with a child that reacts to “smell”.
dgobbatto
No, you are not the only family with a child that reacts to the smell – I have a daughter – that like your child is not old enough to have developed a defence mechanism or even know what she is smelling – and although every doctor I’ve asked has told me there is no way her reaction is due to smell of peanuts and has to be something else she came into contact with – I truely believe they are wrong…..
My child would go what I would call “stone faced”, like she would zone out – go very still, red cheeked – and just not well.
That is great news on your recent rash score!!
_Susan_
My daughter has experienced facial swelling and wheezing after visiting a bakery. Bakeries can use powdered egg which tends to become airborne…
sam8
I just came across this article and my comment written nearly a year ago. My son’s peanut score had dropped and shortly thereafter skyrocketed. In the past year our son has continued to react to airborne allergens on numerous occasions. A recent example is when we walked into a Chinese restaurant for less than 5 minutes while my husband ordered a takeout meal. We waited outside while it was being prepared as a precaution and touched nothing while inside, not the door handle, not a menu, not a pen to sign the bill, etc. Within minutes large hives appeared on our son’s forehead and he began rubbing his eyes–historically his first two signs of a reaction before it escalates).
One of our son’s first serious reactions was to a curry seasoning powder being fried in a pan on the stove. At the time we thought we only needed to avoid his direct contact with allergens so were shocked when we called his allergist, Dr. Robert Wood, who confirmed his airborne reaction and advised us to be extremely cautious with airborne allergens.
Many, many people react to airborne allergens. And while an airborne reaction might only rarely lead to a fatality, it is well known that predicting the severity of a reaction once it begins is an impossibility.