Read a label, save a life: why you should be aware of allergies

Anna Grace Herrin - Sophomore | Opinions

Everybody has to eat, but imagine if your food was deadly. That’s what over 32 million Americans have to deal with every day. About 8% of those are children, or about two students per class.

The eight most deadly food allergies are: peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts, fish, milk, eggs, wheat, and soy. Since the 1990s, Americans have seen food allergy hospitalizations nearly triple. No scientific reason has been found for this severe jump in cases.

Not all food allergies are deadly, but they are unpleasant. A food allergy can present itself as hives, drop of blood pressure, swelling of the face and throat, trouble breathing, severe stomach aches, etc. These symptoms can appear without any warning and can be detrimental to a person's work life and academic performance.

Food allergies can also be airborne, specifically, fish and peanut (though they are rare). An allergen can enter through the eyes, mouth, and nose, just like a virus. For example, there have been cases of people dying from smelling fish.

The simple peanut is the most deadly of these, containing 13 identified proteins that can cause a reaction. Peanuts are sneaky. Even if someone is eating something that does not explicitly contain peanuts, if it was manufactured alongside them it could affect someone across the room.

This begs the question, how do you lead a normal life when your food is out to get you? People with food allergies have to avoid those foods, reading every label of every thing they put in their mouths. They arm themselves with an EpiPen as their only defense.

So next time you eat something, check the packaging, you could save someone’s life.