"allergic reaction" news and stories

Anywhere from 1-6% of Britons suffer, to one degree or another, from an allergy to latex. The rubber-based product is used in several types of food packaging materials, including rubber bands, stickers and adhesives. Often, these products to not come into contact with food at all, but a recent study commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found that in some cases the latex is transferred to the food. It can take as little 1 one billionth of a gram to trigger a latex allergy, so some groups, like the UK's Latex Allergy Support Group, are calling for a change in labeling guidelines to protect consumers.

The FSA has said that it is too soon to draw conclusions based on the results of one study. There is no information available yet on how many, if any, allergic reactions have actually been caused from a food-related exposure to latex.

Source

Peanut and other tree nut allergies generally produce the most severe reactions. Approximately 0.6% of Americans have peanut/tree nut allergies, out of a total of 1.6% with food allergies of some kind. Unlike some other allergies, which seem to be outgrown by children, the reaction to these nuts does not fade with age and can increase in severity with each exposure. In fact, the number of people who have food allergies seems to be increasing, according to Dr. Hugh A. Sampson of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the Journal of Pediatrics, though he notes that the reason for the rise has not yet been determined. It is thought that the increase may be due to an increase in the number of trace exposures to allergens, a concern that has contributed to the FDA's push for new labeling laws.

Source