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Family stranded by nut-allergy row flies home



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Published Date: 07 August 2008
By Frank Urquhart
A SCOTTISH family was heading home last night after being left stranded in the United States since the weekend because of their son's severe nut allergy.
Amoz Harrell, a nine-year-old schoolboy from Ellon in Aberdeenshire, could suffer a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock if he came into to contact with nuts.

His parents, Nicola and David Harrell, spoke of their anger yesterday after staff refuse
d to allow them on board their return KLM flight from Chicago on Saturday because they could not give them a guarantee that the aircraft would be a nut-free environment.

Amoz and his brothers Imran, seven, and Isaiah, 11, and their parents

were told by the captain of the aircraft that there was not enough time to clean it of nuts served on the way out.

A furious Mrs Harrell said: "We agreed not to travel on Saturday because the pilot put the fear of death into us. He said once over the Atlantic there would be nothing he could do if my son had an anaphylactic shock."

She insisted she had told KLM about Amos's condition and had been assured the flight would be nut-free.

Special arrangements were made yesterday by KLM for the Harrell family to return home on a guaranteed nut-free flight.

An spokeswoman for the airline said: "KLM, in line with most carriers, is unable to guarantee a nut-free environment on board its aircraft. The captain deemed it was safer for the child not to travel on (Saturday's] flight.

"In flight we do not serve any peanuts at all. In business class we serve cashew nuts and almonds, which is why for anyone with a peanut allergy we are unable to guarantee a nut-free environment.

"Anyone who has a nut allergy is always informed of this before they fly and, in this case, we were not aware that the nut allergy was as severe as it was."





The full article contains 329 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 06 August 2008 9:30 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Charles Linskaill,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 01:15:42

Well the Airline was quite right, who's to say any other passengers on board, would not have "nuts" with them and open them at anytime, while in flight,?
2

Guga II,

Rockall 07/08/2008 03:33:13
Too many nuts are flying these days.
3

Mad Jock,

East lothian 07/08/2008 05:54:44
No sympathy whatsoever. If you have an allergy, stay away from the source. DO NOT expect the whole world to grind to a halt to suit your problems. Why not ask that President Bush guarantee that the whole of the USA is nut free? Difficult, as there's one running the country anyway.
Any airline that is foolish enough to guarantee a nut free flight leaves itself wide open to legal action should one passenger manage to smuggle on board a lethal peanut.
4

The Trossachs Hasher,

07/08/2008 06:44:38
Are these people for real? They expect to go on a plane and not find any nuts?

It is unfortunate, but their son has a health condition that will prevent him from travelling - just like many other people with health conditions cannot travel.

The family will have to fit themselves around the problem, rather than the other way around.
5

Randomly Blocked Poster, ,

07/08/2008 06:46:17
What is it with nut allergies, where did it come from? All of a sudden the world is populated with little precious' who will die if shown a nut. Was Darwin wrong or are the Yanks intent on taking over the world by producing anaphylactic peanuts or is it just attention seeking drivel?
6

nabodican,

Rural Scotland 07/08/2008 06:53:33
I am quite partial to my nuts! Still not a member of the "mile high club" though!
7

Phil C,

07/08/2008 07:03:30
The nuts have taken over the asylum.

Anyone with a problem/disability/allergy should take responsibility for their own actions if they want to lead a full life. It is not fair to seek unreasonable guarantees from businesses or service providers that they will be protected from the symptoms of their problems. Presumably this family didn't swim to the US, so they must have taken their chances going out there. Why not on the way back?

On a wider scale, in so many areas these days, the threat of massive compensation stops many businesses offering a full service to everyone, regardless of disability or allergy. This only seems possible if they cover their walls with disclaimers covering evry eventuality. The sooner we get back to common sense buyer-beware the better.
8

Boy Wonder,

07/08/2008 07:33:14
Nut allergy is an increasingly recognised problem, particularly in children. Whilst it has been recognised for decades, it is clear that the proportion of children affected has increased dramatically in recent years. Its importance lies in the fact that on rare occasions it can kill, and that those who die from nut allergy have not necessarily had severe reactions before to warn them clearly of the danger.
Avoiding nuts is more easily said than done. In fact if you are allergic to nuts it is impossible in practice to guarantee that you will never eat anything containing nuts you are allergic to.

Fortunately there is a highly effective treatment: adrenaline. But adrenaline needs to be given as an injection or inhalation, and is dangerous if used incorrectly. If you need to have adrenaline available for yourself or someone in your family, it is important that you and anyone else who may have to give the adrenaline should be properly trained.
9

Charles Linskaill,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 07:45:57

Bot Wonder ~8,

Rgrgarding

You can get one of them, "adrenaline" Pens!

Place point of said pen, to ones arm/thy/rear cheek!

Apply a little presure!

Place thum on ze trigger!

'Fire and 'POP'! and thats it!

Not much training for that,... 'HUH',?
10

The Daleks,

Longmen 07/08/2008 08:01:27
Americans, allergies, nanny state, hysteria.

What are the odds of anyone actually dying from contact with a nut?

The Americanisation of the Western world has turned many of us into a bunch of self obbsessed "therapy" seeking PC morons, terrified of our own shadow.
11

turbo-jamtart,

edinburgh 07/08/2008 10:50:06
I am sorry but although unfortunate the child has a medical condition, I have no sympathy for the family. Thousands of people have medical conditions that prevent travel, why should he be any different? If the airline had let him travel and he had an attack, diverted flights, inconvenience to a whole plane load of passengers, knock on effect to other flights, law suit!!
They need to fit their son's condition round every day life, not expect the world to come to a halt for them!!
12

Americanbob,

07/08/2008 11:13:05
#10 the Daleks.
The passengers were Scottish the airline Dutch, and your point is sir?
13

,

07/08/2008 11:25:38
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
14

Dave from Barra ©,

Western Isles 07/08/2008 11:32:42
If the allergy is that bad, I can bet they carry one of those adrenaline pens. If they don't, who are the ones that are "nuts"?
15

Nutty,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 11:48:39
What is not clear in this article that I have read elsewhere is that the airline gave the family a letter of guarantee that thew wouldn't SERVE nuts on the plane and they flew them to the States in a plane on which thye didn't serve nuts on. They then were unable to get them back on a plane because they couldn't clean the plane. If they guarantee in order to get the cash off them then surely they should provide that service - the parents would probably not have booked and travelled without the assurance that they got.

For all the budding doctors - an Epipen suppresses the analphylactic reaction for c 30 minutes. To land and get a child to hospital from mid-Atlantic may take slightly longer (but I'm no pilot).

Severe nut allergies have increased form 0.6% of the population in the 90s to 2% of the population now - the first most people know about it is when they have a liufe threatening reaction. As a regular business traveller and a parent - if I ever found out that an airline put a childs life in jeopardy to feed me nuts then it would be the last time I travelled with them.
16

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 07/08/2008 11:54:12
Horrible Cankers

Good morning.

Your observation is valid but to expect an international airline to guarantee a nut-free environment for just five passengers out of perhaps over 200 or so is not good business sense.

Is it any wonder that the price of airline tickets are skyrocketing because of esoteric passenger concerns such as these and a myriad of other problems.

But your initial description was harrowingly graphic and perhaps this family should fly less since they have a medical time-bomb in the midst of their family, unfortunately.

Also, KLM should have never guaranteed a nut-free flight since it seems impossible to enforce if any passenger brought on a package of peanuts or any other nut for their personal consumption and set off a potentially lethal reaction in that sickly boy.
17

Charles Linskaill,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 11:57:09

Dave ~14,

I have a "nut allergy" it started in my early 40s, funny though Peanuts, I can eat OK, but others swell my throat and its difficult to breath!

I went to the 'said Doctor' for one of these pens, he said,...

"If you know your allergic, avoid the nuts"!!

Some Bl**dy good he was,..'HUH'?

And you wonder why I moan about GP'S!

Walnuts and Cashews are the Worst for me, imagine if I was in a restaurant and dirivs were in my meal unknown to me!

Thats me in a serious condition! But 'OH NO' the Doctor dont think of that did he,?
18

The Daleks,

Longmen 07/08/2008 12:46:15
#12

I'm aware of that.

My point is that these unfounded fears of previously unheard of (and mostly made up) allergies and syndromes emanates from the US, along with the whole boo hoo hoo "therapy" culture.
19

Dave from Barra ©,

Western Isles 07/08/2008 13:57:41
Aye Charles @17

That's because peanuts are NOT nuts but legumes.
20

Dave from Barra ©,

Western Isles 07/08/2008 13:58:36
Nutty

Got any info on your asserion the epipen injections only last c 30 mins. I can't find any reference to that.

Better than nowt though, eh?
21

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 14:23:04
From the Epipen site:

EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. in the majority of cases will be effective after one injection. Information is limited as far as the number of doses of EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. that can be administered after the onset of anaphylaxis. The precise amount of EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. needed to reverse symptoms due to anaphylaxis is unknown.

After EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. has been administered, you should immediately seek emergency medical treatment. You will need professional care to determine whether additional EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. or other treatments are required. It is estimated that up to 35% of people who have a severe reaction may require additional EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. injections to control their reaction until they can get to a hospital. In some instances, after a thorough evaluation, your doctor may determine that a single dose of EpiPen/EpiPen Jr. may not be enough to reverse the symptoms of anaphylaxis. At such time, your doctor may prescribe more than one Auto-Injector to have on hand. This is up to your physician to determine.
22

Nutty,

Edinburgh 07/08/2008 14:29:34
Dave - check the article in the Evening Express last night. Quote from Prof Graham Devereux of Aberdeen University "it suppresses the reaction for about half an hour but the idea is the person gets to the hospital within that time".

Definitely better than nowt.......but as good as nowt when you are half way across the Atlantic! Presumably why the parents sought and received written confirmation from KLM before they booked their tickets.

A more sobering question........A lot of people, particularly young children, do not know that they have a potentially fatal allergy to nuts. However, most airlines still choose to serve them instead of another salty snack like potato crisps or pretzels. What if one of your loved ones discovered they had an allergy at 36000 feet, 2000 miles from a hospital? All the comments above about delayed flights, compensation culture, flight diversions aren't so funny any more, eh?
23

Number 6,

Germany 07/08/2008 14:59:17
Disgusting that the US has allowed a kangaroo court of military officers to try and convict those men being incarcarated and tortured in Guantanimo bay.
If he can get it to appeal however , then it will be thrown out of court by outraged civillian judges, appalled at the goverment's attempt to murder these men. Nearly as appalling as this paper refusing to allow comment on US centric stories.
24

Bien E. Bien,

07/08/2008 18:30:38
My last flight in North America, from Montreal to New York, had the following itemised surcharges and taxes, which together were about 1.5 times the amount of initial ticket:

Navigation Surcharge
Fuel Surcharge
Canada Airport Improvement Fee
U.S.A Transportation Tax
U.S Agriculture Fee
Canada Security Charge
U.S Passenger Facility Charge
Canada Goods and Services Tax
Canada Quebec Sales Tax
September 11 Security Fee
U.S.A Immigration User Fee

Perhaps there will be a "Peanut Cleansing" surcharge in future as well.
25

Poetess50,

07/08/2008 19:57:21
Nuts to them!
26

jerrymanders,

07/08/2008 20:25:39
What next? Nut free buses, taxis, ferries, trains, churches, shops, parks, schools, universities, hotels, etc? I like nuts.
27

Bravetart,

07/08/2008 23:18:18
No allergy, plenty of nuts.

They expected the entire plane to be nut free? What if someone brought a peanut butter sandwich on board, what then? Catastrophe? 'Cause someone might have tipped them the wink that Americans love their peanut butter. Although peanut is technically not a nut but we'll ignore that fact for now.

I take it the child exists in a vacuum (not hoover) during his time in this country?

Hand-flapping, middle-class parenting manual, they are doing it so right.
28

Bravetart,

07/08/2008 23:23:43
They named their child Amos or is it Amoz, the child has suffered enough.

All in all though, top marks for an entertaining story.
29

3rd Dan,

Aberdeen 13/08/2008 16:49:00
I'd say I'm shocked by the amount of ignorance displayed in the comments above, but I'm afraid I'm not, as I come across it every day.

Perhaps I'm more aware of allergies since my neice has a severe allergy to nuts and my wife has a severe allergy to fish oil / iodine, so we carry epi-pens and are quite used to keeping a close eye on ingredients, etc. Unfortunately, we're confronted with the same ignorance as above on a disturbingly regular basis.

Thankfully "Nutty" actually gave some thought to two well written responses (15 & 22) to help restore some of my faith in people.

I know the family in the article very well and they take every precaution to keep Amoz in good health - it's not a question of denying everyone nuts; simply asking that the airline aren't the ones distributing them to everybody. Of course you can't stop people carrying their own food supplies, but that's not what was being requested. The airline assured them that they would have cleaned up any traces of nuts and wouldn't distribute them on their flights - they didn't stick to their word.

 

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