Allergies

Allergies are becoming more common in schools and colleges (as in society at large).

Most are relatively minor and cause inconvenience or discomfort for the individual but are not a serious threat to health, things such as hay fever. However, a not insignificant number of people have serious allergies which can lead to a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

Some causes include:

• Nuts (Most commonly peanuts)
• Dairy
• Latex
• Bee (or wasp) stings

Safety Considerations

Standard laboratory/workshop safety protocols must be reviewed and enhanced to address the specific needs of pupils with severe allergies.

In most cases any adjustment will be relatively simple. The key thing is to determine the severity and specificity of the allergy so that you can plan in advance what to do.

Some approaches might include:

• Nuts - Most schools are already nut-free zones so there is little more to be done. If anyone is still looking at the energy in foody by burning peanuts – stop. Using puffed-wheat snacks like Wotsits ™ is safer and works much better too.
• Dairy - Again little impact but there can be issues in some biology activities that  involve looking at cheesemaking. Likewise titrations to determine calcium in milk.
• Latex - It is easy to source alternatives to latex gloves. The biggest problem is likely to be in physics with the use of balloons. Normal balloons contain latex powder to stop them sticking together and when they are burst or deflated, some of this powder gets into the air and can be inhaled.
• Bee/wasp stings - Nothing really directly science-related but some schools are starting to take up the keeping of bees. In this case any allergies should be considered carefully before it goes ahead.
• Epipens - Most learners (or adults) with severe allergies will have an adrenaline auto-injector eg an ‘epipen’ – usually carried with them with them at all times. Staff should be trained in how to use this in the event of a serious allergic reaction.