Flying just got nuts!
The largest study of its kind suggests aircraft nut ban announcements are ‘unlikely to be effective’ and could even provide a ‘false sense of security’.
Experts from Imperial College London (ICL) and Aviation Medical Consultancy published their findings in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. They revealed that people with nut allergies shouldn’t be worried about the spread of allergens through aeroplane air conditioning systems. Nevertheless, they should be able to board first so they can clean their seating area.
Against this backdrop, the experts discovered that allergen residues on surfaces, such as tray tables, seats, windows and video players pose as the main threat to suffering from an allergic reaction.
Due to not finding any evidence that implies nut allergens are spread through the air, researchers wrote: ‘Announcements [on planes] requesting nut bans are not therefore supported and may install a false sense of security.’
However, authors said it would be wise if people at risk of a severe allergic reaction carry two pre-filled EpiPen’s when flying. Aeroplanes should also consider including a separate supply of ‘general use’ adrenaline autoinjectors.
Professor Paul Turner, an expert in anaphylaxis and allergy at the University of Sydney and Imperial College London, said: ‘People shouldn’t be worried about what food is being transmitted in the air when they fly.
‘We didn’t find any evidence that nut particles could travel through the cabin ventilation system on aeroplanes and cause reactions. The one thing people must do to protect themselves is to clean their seat area.’
‘Allergenic food is really sticky, and can be found on seat surfaces, table tops, and seat-back entertainment screens. People touch these surfaces, and then the allergens can be transferred to their mouths,’ Professor Turner continued. ‘If food-allergic people can board first, and have time to clean their seat area with something like a baby wipe or antibacterial wipe, they are much less likely to have accidental reactions.’
He added: ‘We’re having discussions with a number of major airlines as well as patient groups and anaphylaxis charities to see if we can get some consistent changes in airline policy across airlines operating out of the UK and internationally, to reflect what the evidence is and really make a difference to food-allergic passengers.’
The study was led by experts from Imperial College London (ICL) and Aviation Medical Consultancy and was funded by the UK Civil Aviation Authority the UK Medical Research Council.
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