Do airborne food particles pose a risk?
You can be assured that under normal circumstances anaphylaxis to airborne egg or food particles is very rare. I am not aware of any such reaction to egg but there have been reported allergic reactions to airborne fish, shrimp, and probably peanut particles, and probably milk and wheat. So the same could be true of egg. However an allergic reaction to egg or any other food will not occur because someone is eating it in the classroom or vicinity of the allergic person. The main reason for advising that the allergenic food not be brought into a classroom is the potential for the allergic child to accidentally ingest some by sharing food. Secondary reasons (less likely to cause anaphylaxis because of the smaller quantities involved) are cross-contamination of common objects such as desks, toys, etc. So when can egg or other foods become airborne and cause an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis? • Boiling or cooking the food in the immediate area. Foods like peanut and egg do not evaporate in
