‘Eurowings should be ashamed of how they handled this situation,’ says passenger

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[–] 27 points 3 years ago (2 children)

Peanuts are not ubiquitous in public. Being near several people eating them in a fairly enclosed space is very different than walking through and airport and someone 25 feet away has a bag of peanuts.

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  • [–] 23 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    The air within an airplane cabin is recirculated every five or ten minutes. A real severe peanut allergy would be triggered by anyone on the plane eating peanuts.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    are planes cleansed that thoroughly between flights? I assume one would have to worry about who was eating what in the area from a previous flight with an allergy that severe

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 15 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    The majority of airplanes are equipped with HEPA filters. As in, removing 99,97% of particles over 0.3 micron in size. The unfiltered air is fed in from the outside. It's pretty clean and not a consideration for allergens like peanut particles.

    Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-clean-is-the-air-on-your-airplane-coronavirus-cvd

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago

    As in, removing 99,97% of particles over 0.3 micron in size.

    HEPA filters remove 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 micron in size. (That is the size of particles they're tested with, as it's the most difficult to filter.) They remove over 99.97% of particles larger or smaller than 0.3 microns.

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  • Living with allergies such as a severe peanut allergy is all about mitigating risk

    In most open areas you can be cautious about what you touch and who you stand near to. In enclosed spaces such as airplanes, the risk is substantial and mitigating it requires as close to an absence of peanuts as possible

    And peanuts are special in how easily they trigger severe reactions. Of all my son's allergies, peanuts are the one that scare us

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  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I would hope the air is filtered before recirculating.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    It's sort of is. But mostly they just mix it with a bit of outside air bumped up to pressure and release the difference, but it's not really filtered, except in the sense that over time it will be filtered because the contaminated air will eventually all leave.

    I'm sure they have filters like cars have filters but they're not going to remove micro particles.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

    That seems extremely stupid when airplanes are already major disease vectors, especially after covid.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah I had that thought too but if this were the case, would you take a life threatening risk that no one else on the plane has peanuts? Wouldn't you drive instead? Or take a means of public transportation where they don't regularly sell your allergen?

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  • [–] 10 points 3 years ago

    That's not necessarily feasible. Maybe she has a schedule? Doesn't have a car? Doesn't have a license?

    Also, some reactions are uncomfortable but not deadly. I have an anaphylactic allergy to tree nuts, as in, all true nuts (as peanuts are a legume, i'm fine with them). However, I've never had an anaphylactic reaction, though I was prescribed an EpiPen and told it could become worse with no warning. I get oral itchiness, stinging lips and mouth, heartburn, acid reflux, and diarrhea from actually eating nuts. I'm not sure what it is like for people who are sensitive to the airborne level. It might just resemb le environmental allergies like sneezing, red eyes and so forth. And if you do have to use an EpiPen, it's painful to inject and then you have to go to the hospital afterwards. Not certain death, again, but uncomfortable and inconvenient.

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