Quote:
Originally Posted by ownedbycats
A cozy mystery involving someone dying from a peanut allergy:
...anaphylactic shock can come just from peanut oil being left on a surface. Also, later on, it's mentioned that "just a whiff" was dangerous to the victim. which is it, author?
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The degree of reaction depends on how severe the peanut allergy is. Not every sufferer goes into anaphylactic shock from minor traces of peanut proteins (and yes, it's is proteins not peanut oil that cause the reaction). Refined peanut oil is unlikely to cause a reaction since it is highly refined and almost no detectable allergen protein is present. Those stories of people going into anaphylaxis from traces of peanut oil left on surface are more that slightly lacking any real life examples. Perhaps oddly, I find one item humorous about peanut allergies: children who are exposed to peanuts early in life are far less likely than children who are 'protected' from a potential allergy by having peanuts removed from their diet to develop an allergy.
Brings back a memory from my working days. While I was looking at an issue with the teacher's computer that was not connecting to the classroom Epson projector, a student came back into the classroom over lunch break, opened a backpack, took out an Oh Henry bar and started eating it. The teacher walked back in to check in on the status of her computer and caught the kid with chocolate all over his hand and about half the bar left. Took him to the principal very worried since the kid had "peanut allergy" on his record. The principal called the mother in and I got dragged in as a witness. The mother threw a complete snit fit about the school endangering her darling. The principal then explains that this was not about her "darling" consuming peanuts but rather the "darling" having opened another student's backup, stealing the bar and the appropriate punishment. Mommy Dearest continued to go off on how the other student had endangered her offspring. Principal again repeated that her child had opened another child's backpack, stolen the chocolate bar and there had to be consequences.
Rinse and repeat for another 30 minutes.
I waited around and had my veracity doubted since I contradicted the child stating that the other child had been with them and given them the Oh Henry bar. No, ma'am, I was working on the teacher's computer and your child was alone when they entered the classroom—I can count to one real good. Along with a side of why didn't I know the child had a "peanut allergy" since I was working in the school and should be expected to be up to date on such critical information. My answer that I was in Information Technology and did not deal with student health issues unless they influenced my job was not well accepted.