Could Tap Water Bring on Food Allergies?

What's in Your Tap Water?

Does the recent ACAAI study linking pesticides and food allergy have you eyeing up your glass of water a bit differently?

I'm still digesting this week's news about a link between a chemical that is used in pesticides and in the chlorination of tap water to an increase in food allergies.

The whole hygiene theory hasn't been sitting well with me (no, we're not overly clean. There is plenty of dust in my house, thank you.), and the idea that environmental changes have lead to the explosion in the food allergy rate does make some sense.

This particular study involved over 2100 people and measured their urine levels of dichlorophenols.  The results showed that people with higher levels of dichlorophenols were more likely to have food allergies.  Dichlorophenols, in case you were not aware (yeah, I never heard of them either) are chemicals found in pesticides used in farming and chemicals used to chlorinate water.

"Our research shows that high levels of dichlorophenol-containing pesticides can possibly weaken food tolerance in some people, causing food allergy," said lead study author Elina Jerschow, MD, in a release from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. She further noted that previous studies have shown that food allergies and environmental pollution are increasing in the United States and this research may show a link between the two.

Researchers are quick to point out that further study is needed in this area and that pesticides or tap water do not necessarily cause food allergies.

Another piece of the food allergy puzzle perhaps...

 

Peanut Allergy: What Do You Think of Banning Peanuts?

http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2010/11/food-allergy-news-from-annual.htmlOh, Dr. Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), has sure stirred up a pot of trouble. As mentioned in a previous post, the ACAAI has been conducting their annual meeting over the past few days. Perhaps the most publicized information coming out of the meeting, has been comments about peanut bans made by Dr. Bahna. Check out this report from NPR's Health Blog. Of particular interest to me are the dozens of comments which rest on both sides of the issue.
 
I don't know if it's because we were originally dealing with nearly ten different food allergens, but I've never been an advocate of food bans. However, I am an advocate of making reasonable accommodations for medical needs. Therefore, when I contact an airline and request that peanuts not be served on our flight due to a peanut allergy, I expect that reasonable request to be honored. If suddenly those orange cheese curls became the popular in-air snack, I'd be just as adamant that those snacks not be served on our flight either. Imagine a huge cloud of cheese dust circling over my milk allergic's child head- a nightmare!

I am in favor of school cafeterias providing safe places for all children to eat lunch. If that means a separate safe table for my child, I want to be able to make that reasonable request.

Yes, the topic of food allergies can cause great debate, but for those of us who live with a food allergy, there is no debate. Anaphylaxis can be fatal and we should expect reasonable accommodations to be made to prevent a reaction.

Food Allergy Quiz

Check out this true/false quiz from ACAAI (American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology). My readers may find it fairly elementary, but I think it would make for some great talking points with grandparents and older food allergic children.

Did any of the questions stump you? I got number 6 wrong. I knew that exercise could lead to anaphylaxis, but I didn't realize the food allergy link. Always learning...