Dear colleagues and co-workers — PLEASE BE AWARE:

- Please be especially mindful to not eat nuts (including peanuts) at your desk, please eat these in the break out rooms and clean up after yourself to avoid traces on surfaces,

- Do not leave foil packets or plastic bags with nuts on your desk — they should be in a sealed container and inside a locker or your bag.

Further reading:

*In 20-years leading up to 2012, there was a 615% increase in rate of hospital admissions for Anaphylaxis.*
Between the years 1997 and 2008 tree nut allergies in particular have tripled in the US (and I suspect it has increased similarly in the UK). Around 44% of the adult population in the UK (2010) suffer from at least one allergy, nearly half of them suffer from *more than one allergy*.

Other common responses to allergens include allergic eczema, asthma, urticaria, and even aggravate depression / anxiety.
Common food allergens are nuts, fruit, shellfish, eggs and cows' milk (NHS)

*IT IS NOT* a psychological problem, or psychosomatic. Anaphylaxis *is a medical emergency* posing a genuine risk of death (as well as paralysis / organ failure / brain damage) with a required response time akin to a stroke or a heart attack.

It is wrong to assume that an EpiPen (epinephrine or ‘adrenaline’) injector is a cure-all for anaphylaxis; it merely gives you temporary relief for what could be as little as 5 minutes before a resurgence. It is there as a safe measure to allow more time for emergency services to reach you.

Even a small amount (traces) can cause anaphylaxis and in some cases it can come on as quickly as five minutes.

Each time you expose people with allergies to allergens--even though they may not have an airborne allergy to begin with (and only have contact allergies)--the risk of developing an existing allergy so it becomes MORE severe and airborne can increase. This is why people can grow out of an allergy or develop a more severe response (through exposure)


Sources:

https://www.foodallergy.org/life-with-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics

https://www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/statistics