Mr. Peanut vintage nightlights from http://4mrpeanut.com/photos.htm
This column (cited in today's Well blog at NYTimes.com) by Harvard professor Nicholas A. Christakis, published in the British Medical Journal, takes a hard stance on what he sees as overreaction to nut allergies by the parents and staff of American elementary schools.
My initial reaction was complete agreement with him - I do believe that by limiting exposure, we may be causing more harm than good to the vast majority of children who do not suffer and who may be more likely to develop allergies if not regularly exposed to nuts.
However, I also sympathize with parents wanting to protect their children who aren't old enough to understand how crucial it is that they avoid all contact with nuts. Would a solution be to ban nuts for children in lower grades, with the ban lifted for children capable of understanding the need to avoid them?
Then again, some people say that mere inhalation of nut fumes can cause them discomfort. Is that even physically possible or just psychosomatic?
The commenters over at the Well blog are, well, going nuts over this one.
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