Allergy experts say kids are developing food allergies at a younger age. Imagine being so allergic to nuts that you are terrified to attend school around Halloween or Easter because your classmates might bring peanut butter candy that could send you into allergic shock.
According to an AP story, it happens more than you think. Some in Congress now want national legislation to help protect the 2 million or so kids who have food allergies in the United States.
The story says that only Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee have statewide allergy plans (according to the National Association of State Boards of Education), although many individual schools and school districts have their own plans.
The piece adds some background:
A Duke University Medical Center study released in 2007 says children are developing food allergies at younger ages.
The number of children under age 5 suffering from peanut allergy alone has doubled in the past decade, said Dr. Wesley Burks, the study's senior author.
Researchers can't say why food allergies have increased, but one theory is that society has become too hygienic, which deprives children's immune systems from building up their defenses, Burks said.
An estimated 12 million Americans have food allergies, which occur when the immune system identifies a food as harmful and triggers antibodies to attack it.
Eight foods account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions—peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition says food allergies lead to 150 deaths, 30,000 emergency room visits and 2,000 hospitalizations each year.
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