The Peanut Allergy
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Many young children have severe peanut allergies. These allergies can be so severe that they lead to death. In the school setting, it is difficult to control which students have peanuts with them, and which do not. One of the good things about the allergy, is that the substance has to come in direct contact with the person who is allergic. So, in most cases it is not a problem that other students have peanuts — unless someone tries to sabotage the student with the allergy.
A Morton Middle School eighth-grader faces felony charges after putting crumbled peanut butter cookies in the lunch box of another student with a severe allergy to peanuts.
The allergic student, another eighth-grader, did not eat the cookies and did not suffer a reaction. (Link)
I agree that the student should be punished in some way. However, he probably thought that he was playing some sort of a joke. No one was hurt in the ‘attempt at humor’, most likely because the student with the allergy was observant of his lunch. A felony charge of wanton endangerment is a little excessive for a 13 year old. Perhaps a suspension will teach him a better lesson.
Are you allergic to peanuts? If so, how bad is the allergy? Can you be around people eating peanuts? I am curious to know how people with serious peanut allergies deal with the peanut society that we live in today.
Justin
5 Comments
dripfeed
June 30th, 2008
at 2:28am
One of my daughter’s friends is so allergic to peanuts that she physically pukes the instant she enters a room where peanuts have been eaten. Just the lingering peanutty oil in the air is enough to knock her sideways. That includes Snicker bars. Then there’s her other, dead friend who accidentally ate a single mouthful of chicken sate at a finger food buffet and immediately went into anaphylactic shock. The kid panicked so much she bent the needle of her adrenalin shot and neither she nor her friends at the party could get it into her system before she passed out. She died later that night. So, personally, I’d treat the eighth grader in your story as an attempted murderer.
the oracle
June 30th, 2008
at 5:08am
I’m actually surprised that this allergy is not treated as others, by building up a tolerance with extremely small injections, building to larger ones.
It’s too bad this has happened but it appears to be a problem that our society has brought upon itself. With so many diseases eradicated, the body has to find something to fight - or so the medical establishment opines.
Kevin
July 6th, 2008
at 5:29pm
peanut allergies, like some other food allergies, are so severe, tolerance buildup by small injections is impossible. The amounts needed for an injection are deadly.
robin
July 24th, 2008
at 12:36pm
Agreed- the kid very likely did not think his actions through and did not comprehend that allergies can be deadly and thought he was playing a fun, mischevious prank. Discipline is in order, but a felony charge is going overboard.
Monica
August 17th, 2008
at 11:24pm
Is a felony charge going over-board? My answer is no. If the same child had pointed a loaded gun at another student, I don’t think we would be debating the issue. This is despite the out-come (no one physically hurt) would be the same in both scenarios. Peanut to this child (and my 7 year old son) is deadly. Until everyone can wrap their mind around the fact that something very innocent to many is very deadly to a few, ignorance will unfortunately continue.