Originally Posted by
M60_to_LGA
When I was a grad school, I had a part-time internship at a consulting firm. I went in a couple of days a week to find various numbers in annual reports and 10-Ks and plug them into spreadsheets, do PowerPoints, stuff like that.
One day I bought some peanut M&Ms and brought them back to the office, and I asked others there if they wanted any. One guy said he couldn't because he had a very serious peanut allergy. I apologized and asked him if I should put them away, and he just said, nah, it's fine.
These people who claim they're going to die if they so much as look at a peanut on an airplane - I have a really hard time believing that, I'm sorry.
EDIT: Forgot to ask - did the woman die, blow up like a balloon, go into anaphylactic shock, or suffer any other serious complication in flight? I'm guessing I know the answer, but still.
Repeated studies have shown that the myth of airborne peanut dust is exactly that. Even in severe cases, they're likelier to touch something that was left behind on the seat and then a mucus membrane.
Some random person in F eating something that may have been in facility that comes in contact with peanuts will not do anything to this person.
All I can say to these people is - Trust the science, skip the hype.
If someone next to me had a peanut allergy and asked me to not eat peanuts, I'd gladly oblige. It's in close enough proximity that if it makes them feel better (and if I drop one) I have no problem not eating it. But someone 5 rows back, yea not so much.