Allergies/Sensitivities - The Social Responsibility?

[Rockinonahigh]

Being an adult with allergies to sents,ciggy smoke,pollen and most cleaning stuff when used in heavy consentrates,over the years I have used and have meds for most of the isues I deal with.I feel it is my responsablity to find ways to deal with any of my allergy probs,I do appresheate it when folks use less sents or house keeping can use less powerfull cleaning solutions and leave to windows or doors open to vent the smell out when ever possable.This issue over coworkers eating lunch at theiredesk (to me) is something that is over bord cause she can get anti neausa(sp?) pills that will fix most if not all of her queezy problems or she could have something at her desk to mask the food smells....I mean how close dose she have to be any way for it to affect her sensablities or other coworkers could bring food that have less odors.
I spend lots of time playing pool and ciggy smoke...burns my eyes so I use eye drops to stop that,ciggy smoke bugs my asthma...again asthma meds plus asking my team mates to smoke at the other end of our table or near a vent to pull out the smoke plus me staking out of the way when I can from people who smoke bad not to mention the ladies who use enough perfume to bathe an horse in.For the most part I feel things are workable if all parties think how to work out the diffrentsess.Asfor peanut allergies I feel as adults we also should be fully aware of how peanuts effect us so just being watchfull can in many cercumstancess will fix that but as kids and school lunches...a seprate place to eat could help a lot for kids with food allergies..I cant think of any other way to fix that cause if u have a fue kids with the allergie then a whole school of non alergic kids.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Let's revisit!

The "scent free" lady at work has now sent a formal request that all employees be required to eat their lunch in the lunch room rather than eating at their desks while working because she said the smell of food makes her sick.

Is this reasonable to you?

I would say that 80% of the employees on our floor do a "working lunch" and gnosh at their desk rather than eating in the lunch area (which would be too small for everyone to be accomodated at one time). This will have a pretty severe impact on all employees if the company decides to institute this policy. (I dont think they will because most of upper management realizes they get an extra hour a day out of us while we work through our lunches at our desk)

This person has also advocated for a completely "scent free" environment in the common areas and has removed all the air fresheners from the women's restroom. It appears that she is severely allergic to smells or at least severely affected by them.

At what point does a workplace need to accomodate?

So I have a question: if the smell of food is making her sick, what does she eat? I realize how sensitive odour allergies can be but I have to say this is a first. I would suggest to management that perhaps telecommuting might be a better option for this employee so that they can better control their work environment (i.e., home) if it is that extreme.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Linus

So I have a question: if the smell of food is making her sick, what does she eat? I realize how sensitive odour allergies can be but I have to say this is a first. I would suggest to management that perhaps telecommuting might be a better option for this employee so that they can better control their work environment (i.e., home) if it is that extreme.

Ha! Good point! I get that sometimes people heat up really odorous things in the microwave and that it can sometimes be really foul (hello! fish in curry sauce!) but I gotta say that she seems to be sensitive to even the "smell" of hot tea. It was suggested to her to just work from home all the time and her reponse was that she wanted an office so that she could shut her door.

We'll see where it goes!

[Novelafemme]

My youngest goes to a "allergy aware" school where the kids are allowed to bring any food they personally enjoy, but they are NOT allowed to share food with their friends. This rule is strictly enforced by lunch room monitors.

Both she and I share some common allergens such as certain wire-haired animals, cleaning products like 4O9 and other aerosol solutions, avocado and mango meat, cigarettes/cigars, etc. Most of our symptoms are relatively mild...for instance, she gets hives around her mouth when eating mango fruit, but does that stop her? Nope! My chemical sensitivity has literally exploded over the past year to where I have to read the ingredients on almost all cleaning products before using. I recently rented a carpet cleaner and grabbed a bottle of the liquid sold with the rental machine and ended up in the urgent care due to a horrible allergic reaction. They did a breathing treatment and I felt five gazillion times better, but now carry an inhaler in my purse in case it happens again. That scared the shit out of me!!!

In terms of my expectations of others in the work place or out in public...um, that's MY problem! Personally, I would never expect someone to accommodate me based on my food/environmental allergies. If I was allergic to garlic, then I would make sure to bring food that didn't need to be heated up or stored somewhere it could be exposed to it. If smells gave me migraines, then I would honestly need to consider working from home. Scent allergies are much more difficult to navigate than food allergies. Perfumes/colognes I understand not wanting to smell all day if they stink or give me a headache, then it becomes an HR issue. But if the smell of food makes you ill, then it's a personal problem and it's on you to handle it so the problem doesn't become everyone else's. If molecules containing peanut atoms have the potential to cause anaphylactic shock, then you ought not be flying on commercial airlines if you can help it. Otherwise, I'm sure one can locate a hazmat suit in an emergency.

[atomiczombie]

That smell of food thing is a bit ridiculous in my opinion.

I have a sensitivity to certain scents and chemicals. I get bad headaches from heavy perfumes and the strong smell of bleach. Some paints and stains give me headaches too. If I walk through the perfume/cologne section of a department store, I end up with a headache pretty fast. I feel like I can't breathe for fear of a headache. I have food allergies to certain nuts, carrots, and fruit.

But that's nothing compared to my best friend. He has an allergy to sea food that is as bad as any I have ever seen. He can't go near it without getting hives and if he is close enough to it, he throws up. If he accidentally eats some, for example eats something that has some elements of it like fish sauce (often in Vietnamese food) he with go into shock and needs multiple epi pens and a trip to the ER.

He has to ask his friends not to eat sea food around him (of course I am happy to do that for him). He avoids the sea food section in grocery stores. He won't go to restaurants like Red Lobster which mainly serve fish. It is a reality he has to deal with and he accepts it. I know he feels bad sometimes asking his friends to accommodate him, but there really is no choice in the matter, because they aren't really friends if they won't care enough about his health to avoid sea food when around him. He doesn't expect the whole world to change for his convenience. He just does his best to navigate it while protecting his health.

[LaneyDoll]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

That smell of food thing is a bit ridiculous in my opinion.

I have a sensitivity to certain scents and chemicals. I get bad headaches from heavy perfumes and the strong smell of bleach. Some paints and stains give me headaches too. If I walk through the perfume/cologne section of a department store, I end up with a headache pretty fast. I feel like I can't breathe for fear of a headache. I have food allergies to certain nuts, carrots, and fruit.

But that's nothing compared to my best friend. He has an allergy to sea food that is as bad as any I have ever seen. He can't go near it without getting hives and if he is close enough to it, he throws up. If he accidentally eats some, for example eats something that has some elements of it like fish sauce (often in Vietnamese food) he with go into shock and needs multiple epi pens and a trip to the ER.

He has to ask his friends not to eat sea food around him (of course I am happy to do that for him). He avoids the sea food section in grocery stores. He won't go to restaurants like Red Lobster which mainly serve fish. It is a reality he has to deal with and he accepts it. I know he feels bad sometimes asking his friends to accommodate him, but there really is no choice in the matter, because they aren't really friends if they won't care enough about his health to avoid sea food when around him. He doesn't expect the whole world to change for his convenience. He just does his best to navigate it while protecting his health.

My mom has a weird allergy to shellfish-she can eat it but not touch it. But she loves crab legs and will order them and eat them wearing gloves. She alerts the wait staff to the allergy and I promise, NOTHING gets you attentive service like an "allergic" person eating the item they are allergic to.

[Rockinonahigh]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Ha! Good point! I get that sometimes people heat up really odorous things in the microwave and that it can sometimes be really foul (hello! fish in curry sauce!) but I gotta say that she seems to be sensitive to even the "smell" of hot tea. It was suggested to her to just work from home all the time and her reponse was that she wanted an office so that she could shut her door.

We'll see where it goes!

I wonder how sje would feel in wearing a mask or something that covers the smell of food...but if hot tea bothers her I wonder if she is looing for atention or exagurateing the allergies...she could close her office door.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Ha! Good point! I get that sometimes people heat up really odorous things in the microwave and that it can sometimes be really foul (hello! fish in curry sauce!) but I gotta say that she seems to be sensitive to even the "smell" of hot tea. It was suggested to her to just work from home all the time and her reponse was that she wanted an office so that she could shut her door.

We'll see where it goes!

Could she being going beyond what she is actually experiencing just to get an office?

[Corkey]

Sounds psychosomatic to me.... But then I don't know her LOL

[1QuirkyKiwi]

I have severe food allergies to red and white meat and shellfish, as well as allergies to oranges, strawberries and kiwi fruits and potatoes….I carry an Epipen with me at all times. I’m aware that anaphylaxis can be triggered by the smell of the meats cooking in the Deli section of a supermarket, so, I avoid that area to the best of my ability.

I eat mainly in vegetarian and vegan restaurants and I take packed lunches to work….with a thermos of soup in the Winter. I don’t expect anyone to blanket what they eat around me, as I can walk out of the room. The only foods I can’t be around at all when they are being cooked is fish and shellfish, as that does send me into anaphylactic shock.

I’m fortunate that my colleagues, friends and family don’t heat up/cook or peel the foods near me….I appreciate it may not be an experience that’s easy to understand if they don’t suffer from allergies. I eat in my office and the students come and sit with me after heating up their lunches.

If/when dating a meat eater, I ask that they freshen their mouths before pashing me, lol!

[girl_dee]

WHen I worked at a bank we ate at our desks many many times. I could not stand the smell of their frozen dinners or leftover whatever and it lingered in our office the rest of the day. I brought a sandwich or salad everyday so no one had to deal with my smelly food not to mention I don't use microwaves. I also encouraged them to take a break in the day and get away from their desks, and enjoy their meal in a healthy way, but somedays we all just wanted to go home, and that extra time was more valuable at the end of the day.

I hated it, but not to the point that I would ask anyone to change their habits.

I did have an issue with working with 3 women 1 man who tried to out do each other in the loudest scent department. I told them they were going to cause a spontaneous chemical combustion explosion if someone did not back off the Jean Nate, and I don't mean the just the women

[1QuirkyKiwi]

Originally Posted by Linus

Could she being going beyond what she is actually experiencing just to get an office?

I was going to ask this, too! LOL!

[Rockinonahigh]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

I wonder how sje would feel in wearing a mask or something that covers the smell of food...but if hot tea bothers her I wonder if she is looing for atention or exagurateing the allergies...she could close her office door.

OOOppps,pain pills are causeing more typos than useal, sorry.

[nycfem]

I'm so curious to hear how this plays out. Love me some work drama that isn't my own

Originally Posted by Medusa

Let's revisit!

The "scent free" lady at work has now sent a formal request that all employees be required to eat their lunch in the lunch room rather than eating at their desks while working because she said the smell of food makes her sick.

Is this reasonable to you?

I would say that 80% of the employees on our floor do a "working lunch" and gnosh at their desk rather than eating in the lunch area (which would be too small for everyone to be accomodated at one time). This will have a pretty severe impact on all employees if the company decides to institute this policy. (I dont think they will because most of upper management realizes they get an extra hour a day out of us while we work through our lunches at our desk)

This person has also advocated for a completely "scent free" environment in the common areas and has removed all the air fresheners from the women's restroom. It appears that she is severely allergic to smells or at least severely affected by them.

At what point does a workplace need to accomodate?

[pinkgeek]

Interesting..... I worked at one very very very large semi conductor company where we were never allowed to eat anything at our desks because the CEO hated walked down the hall and ever smelling food. The man signed our checks, I kinda let it go. (The executive carpark was down the hall from my office so I never broke the rule - possible the only rule I haven't bent or broken in my life.....)

However at the most recent tech company I was at, if someone wanted us to all eat in the lunch room we'd be standing on the foosball table and eating off the server racks to accommodate said "scent free lady".

Even so.... The smell would have get into the office not to mention that at that point I'd have lost enough productivity not being able to eat and work that I'd never set foot in my office and neither would anyone else.

Long story short - I think she needs a work from home allowance or a personal bubble. But then I'm that girl who wears a different Chanel for each season.

Originally Posted by Medusa

The "scent free" lady at work has now sent a formal request that all employees be required to eat their lunch in the lunch room rather than eating at their desks while working because she said the smell of food makes her sick.

Is this reasonable to you?

At what point does a workplace need to accomodate?

[*Anya*]

There are a couple of ways to look at this. Yes, social responsibility and empathy towards others vs. personal rights and freedoms.

I have asthma. It is well-controlled and I take my asthma meds, which is my responsibility to do.

I can have a someone walk by me, or be trapped in a bus, office setting or airplane with someone that put on a very strongly scented perfume or colone and fairly rapidly, start wheezing.

Do I think that people have the right to wear scents- yes they do. Do they also have some responsibility to not put so much on that I can smell them 30 rows down in the airplane? Yes, I believe that they do. I also have the right to be able to breath.

Cooking smells are a little trickier because frequently culture is involved. I worked at a county mental health department during the time that a great many Vietnamese folks came to the US after the Vietnam war ended and the county started a mental health program for them. Of course, they brought their foods and culture with them. All of us were unfamiliar with them and some of the cooking odors did last in the building for hours.

The smell did not make me wheeze but after several hours, maybe a little queasy, in the same way that any food of any culture, smelling it for hours in an office would. I dealt with it, as all of us did out of sensitivity.

Can I see that someone might not like smelling food in an office setting? Yes. Do we have the right to demand that people not eat the food of their choice or culture at work? Not so much.

We all should just follow the golden rule, right?

[aishah]

i have relatively mild mcs - i'm allergic to a lot of scents, dyes, perfumes, chemicals, etc. in small doses it's not the end of the world, but it's a huge inconvenience and it's painful and irritating. in large doses it can make it really difficult for me to do anything for the rest of the day thanks to pain, fatigue, etc. i work with and organize with a lot of people with more severe mcs than i have so i'm used to setting up, requesting, and pushing for scent-free space.

one thing most people don't understand is that not everything that has a smell will trigger mcs - most people with mcs have different levels of sensitivity, but even so, things like food normally don't trigger mcs (unless there is some sort of chemical in it). or, for example, the smell of coconut oil (i hate the smell, but it's a great non-toxic alternative to scented moisturizers and massage oils and it usually doesn't trigger a reaction for folks w/mcs). another common misconception is that all "natural" scented products are okay to wear around folks with mcs - for example, essential oils and incense ARE often toxic to us, and even things like lavender can cause reactions for some people.

i get really frustrated sometimes with this and "accommodations" for my other disabilities. it is NOT that hard to use scent-free soap in public restrooms or restrooms at work, church, etc. you may not be able to get people to stop wearing massive amounts of scented body product to a place but exchanging soap in the bathrooms and not using highly scented air fresheners in the building is a good start. and hello - most of the stuff that people with mcs are allergic to - we're allergic to it BECAUSE THE SHIT IS ACTUALLY TOXIC. which means it's probably toxic to you too, you just aren't as sensitive to it (yet). for years i didn't realize i had mcs and i didn't understand why i constantly had allergies until i became friends with other people like me because no one ever talks about how toxic the chemicals we put on our bodies actually are.

i understand the frustration some people have with not wanting to change their personal routine to suit other people, but sometimes when we are in community together i'm like - look, either you want to be in community with me and you care about me or you don't. access needs outrank personal preferences, in my opinion. it's sort of like, with my mobility issues, when i go to an event that's held upstairs and no one bothered to tell me or even give a shit that a disabled person might want to come. recently this happened when my coworkers at a mental health dis org planned a community mental health event they knew i was coming to because i was deeply involved. i got there and there was a huge flight of stairs. it felt like a slap in the face. even with my partner sometimes this is a problem - he is really great about dealing with my physical disabilities but sometimes he still sees dealing with my mcs as him doing me a favor (because he frequently wears men's deodorant, cologne, etc. and it makes me really sick).

i also think people have a responsibility to keep food that causes allergic reactions for others out of a space once that need has been articulated. we had that issue at a meeting recently - we were eating oranges and someone was severely allergic. the oranges got thrown away, moved into the other room, and we all washed our hands and face with unscented dr. bronner's. to me it's just human decency. did i want to eat oranges? yeah. was i upset that i had to stop? was it an inconvenience? not at all. i cared about that person and i wanted them to be able to be in the space.

edited to add...on the upside...femme allergy masks for the win! http://www.icanbreathe.com/store/page12.html

[canadianmusician]

I have anaphylactic allergies. Peanuts, all treenuts and tomatoes.

In terms of tomatoes, I can't touch them, but I can be around them if the person eating is in far enough distance.

Peanuts and nuts, I stay FAR away from. And believe me, people have been quite ignorant. Even with my tomato allergy. Servers have asked "Is ketchup or BBQ sauce ok?" Oi.

I was dog sitting for a friend. I went to her place the night before she left as she was leaving at 6am. It was about 7pm, and I needed to look something up so she let me jump on her computer, which she'd been on earlier. I felt my lips start to tingle, got red spots on my hands and my throat was getting tight. I asked her if she had any peanuts she might have left out and she informed me she had eaten a snickers bar when she was on the computer and thought it wouldn't harm me if I didn't know and she ate it quietly, disposed of wrapper and washed her hands. I ended up in the ER and she had to delay her trip by a couple of days until I was well enough to dog sit. This wasn't the first time she made a mistake, and she wasn't the last person to make a mistake. The last landed me in the hospital again only this time I needed an extra dose of epinephrin, injectable diphenhydramine, on an IV and a nebulizer of salbutamol and steroids.


The problem with peanuts and nuts, is that they have very potent oils in them. When you smell peanuts, you're not just smelling the food, you're inhaling the essence of them. My allergist is with the AAAI and has won many awards, taught in universities and done LOADS of research in immunology. He's taught me so much and if not for him and the stuff he's informed me about, I would be dead.

I fully agree with banning peanuts from schools. Kids are kids. They share pens, participate in sports together, rough house with each other, they have physical contact. Let's say I didn't have an allergy and someone else's kid did. My kid just ate a bag of peanuts at lunch and forgot to wash their hands, they go and give your kid a high five. Your kid goes into shock and dies. Sounds extreme, but it is very possible.

Some people want to complain about peanut/nut allergies and how they have to 'be careful'. A persons life would be far more complicated if they were claiming their space as a peanut eater and the person next to them drops dead from a reaction.

I rarely eat at other people's houses and I only will if I really, truly trust them and know for a fact they know how to be safe. I usually make a joke about it. "I know it sucks having to go to all the trouble, but I think there'll be more trouble if I'm on your floor..." and it always gets a laugh.

A place I'm on the board of directors for had a 'social bonding time' at one of the other board members places, who happens to be a doctor. There's also another doctor on the board, so I had two at hand in case anything went down at dinner lol Of course, all I had to worry about was tomatoes as there were no peanuts or nuts there.....but the theme was Mexican, so my anxiety was way up lol

If I date someone, they have to give up peanuts and nuts, because the oils remain in the skin and mouth for a day or so, despite flossing and brushing. It is far too risky. Tomatoes, they could eat, but not if they want to get intimate that night lol. My home is peanut/nut/tomato free and always will be. There are alternatives, I have soybutter instead of peanut butter and make a killer chicken 'satay' with it I eat roasted soybeans and order my trailmix from NoNuttin, a company here in BC.

I carry my own little allergy kit. Epipen, benadryl, inhaler. I have a medicalert bracelet.

In terms of scent allergies, I understand those, but it is impossible to avoid. Many health centres here are scent free. But if you go to someone's home, you take that chance of being exposed to a scent, or any other allergen. The only thing we can truly control, is what goes into our own homes.

Food...there are restaurants I know I just shouldn't go to. I was upset when one of my favourite local small restaurants incorporated peanuts into their milkshakes, desserts and some of their food. I had to stop going there. But I adjust, I research, I do all I can to stay safe.

[aishah]

Originally Posted by canadianmusician

In terms of scent allergies, I understand those, but it is impossible to avoid. Many health centres here are scent free. But if you go to someone's home, you take that chance of being exposed to a scent, or any other allergen. The only thing we can truly control, is what goes into our own homes.

i agree. for people with mild or moderate mcs it is possible to go into spaces if there's been an effort to make the space scent-free, but for a friend of mine with severe mcs, she has to wear a gas mask all of the time essentially, and even then taking in chemicals through skin and mucus membranes causes a reaction for her, though the mask does help. we're in the process of traveling together to a conference and trying to figure out the best way to make our personal space while we're staying there scent-free because she has to at least have some place she can go where she can take off her mask. usually that would be one's home. but it can be hard for partners who don't understand...my partner is starting to make the transition to unscented products now. it's also a problem when around family or friends who don't take it seriously. most of my friends with more severe mcs are pretty socially isolated because of it.

but, like...if the church i go to instituted a scent-free policy where they got rid of scented soap and air fresheners and encouraged folks to not use cologne/perfume, church would be much more bearable for me and other people who have mcs. as it is i'm considering buying a mask because that's one of the most highly toxic places i go on a regular basis. obviously the detergent folks are using and the cleaners used to clean the church are still toxic but the level of chemicals would be somewhat more tolerable for my body. when i'm at my sister's house, i spend most of the time feeling physically like crap because she refuses not to use scented candles and air fresheners. etc. it's not just public space that's the issue (i accept it as a fact of life when i go into public spaces) but also private spaces and community spaces. it really frustrates me when people who are supposedly working around disability issues or who are involved in social justice movements and supposedly want to build community together with me (and friends with mcs) just completely disregard this, because it's basically excluding a lot of people. and it makes me angry that it's treated as a preference or something when it is an actual allergy and it has physical consequences for our health. a friend of mine recently went to a social justice event where the organizers allowed the use of flash cameras and she told them she was going to get a seizure if they didn't ask people to turn the flash off and she got a seizure and they acted put out - but said they wanted her there (she's a well-known writer and activist). to me, if someone cares about me or wants my presence in their life it should be an issue. but i'm beginning to accept that i'm going to have to just wear a mask more often because people's desire to wear scents is more important than other people's health. i'm in the process of becoming more assertive about these issues with folks in my life, but it's something that i accepted for so long as part of the norm (not having access and having to overcompensate myself) and i'm used to being the doormat/peacemaker so taking on that role when it comes to my health is difficult. it's hard to get people to understand that their preference (wearing scents or organizing things that are up huge flights of stairs) means i'm not going to be able to get out of bed the next day or week because of pain. i'm used to accepting that their preference is more important than my health and working on changing that over the last few years has been good for me health-wise but really difficult emotionally, especially with social anxieties and misunderstanding.

i can't believe your friend did that with the snickers bar, though - i mean, eating it before you got there and then trying to hide it and pretend it wouldn't be a problem, knowing that you can't be in spaces where peanuts have been. that to me is incredibly insensitive. :\ i can't wrap my mind around how people can think their desire to consume peanuts is somehow more important than a child's right to not go into anaphylactic shock on the playground. our individualistic society has gone to a ridiculous extreme of just not caring about each other's needs AT ALL, so much of the time. wanting to eat peanuts should not be more important than someone's right to be in a community space like a school or even a public space without dying or having a severe allergic reaction.

[Apocalipstic]

I have allergies.

I am 48 years old and yes, I am allergic to peanuts and a ton of other shit.

When I was a kid I had allergies and was sick non-stop, but back then no one really cared and they just told me to deal. If it got really bad I got a shot or breathing treatments. My entire childhood was spent sick. I had no idea what I was even allergic to, and most people would insist I was faking.

As an adult I take allergy and asthma medicine and avoid things I know I am allergic to. Sometimes a friend will laugh at me or make a remark and I just swallow it.

I make as small of a deal about it as I can.

I don't ever ask anyone else to change what they are doing. if there is too much smoke, I go outside. Turkey for dinner? I just eat veggies. peanuts? I don't eat them. Melons, banannas...don't eat them. Rabbits and horses? Avoid. Hay? avoid when I can. and on and on.

I try to not spend the night away from home that much becasue I am allergic to most laundry stuff and need detergent for sensitive skin.

Yes, some people go overboard, but some people are pretty hurtful complaining about other people's allergies.

We don't have allergies to inconvenience you. It's not pretend.

As long as you are OK with my asthma attacks when I come in contact with something I am allergic to I don't even know is there, you can hang out with me.

And I don't care who you are, don't invite me to fucking Logan's, or anywhere else there are peanuts everywhere. And if you do? and I don;t go...don't talk about how I won't go anywhere any more.