A passenger woke up mid-flight and realized the woman in the window seat next to her is peeling nuts and flicking the shells onto the cabin floor.
Video from the flight earlier this month shows a pile of nut shells under the seats. The passenger asked her seat opponent to stop, but “it was too late.” Her video’s caption adds: “Good thing I don’t have a nut allergy.”
@livrubbo Good thing I don’t have a nut allergy #travellife #bazaar #sendhelp ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
Most people freaking out over this are worried about airborne nut dust triggering allergic reactions. That is not real. You’re not going to get an anaphylactic reaction to nut dust in an airplane cabin.
At most, if a tray table were contaminated with nut refuse, an allergic person’s skin might get irritated. Bring disinfecting wipes and clean your area.
- Peanut dust or “vapors” do not linger in the air in any concentration that can trigger severe reaction. Someone who is super sensitive might suffer eye irritation, for instance. But that’s about it.
- In clinical trials, about 2% of patients get a runny nose or itchy eyes when exposed to airborne peanut protein. That’s about it – even when right beside the sources of peanuts.
- There could be higher concentrations in the air in a peanut processing plant! But not on an aircraft. Downward airflow and HEPA filtration are going to make a big difference here.
Instead, shelling nuts onto the floor is a cleanliness issue and a pain for flight attendants and cabin cleaners (the latter who don’t get much time on board the aircraft between flights). It’s a problem for the next person sitting in that seat, because there’s a good chance the shells are still there.
This isn’t Five Guys Burgers. You shouldn’t be shelling nuts. And you definitely shouldn’t be tossing the remains on the cabin floor. That’s just gross, and what kind of person does that? Somehow people can keep a phone glued to their hand for six hours, but a peanut shell is just too much responsibility.
Clean up after yourselves, people. Ultimately civilization began when humans stopped tossing bones over their shoulders at dinner. Some of you are trying to undo 5,000 years of progress in a single flight.
I have a fairly severe peanut allergy. When I’m in a stadium with loads of peanut shells, my eyes water and my nose runs. It’s not the end of the world. I also wash my hands carefully after coming home.
Ahh, “nut dust”… Gary sure has a way with words!
And, “cabin cleaners (the latter who don’t get much time on board the aircraft between flights).” Yes, Gary, and those workers usually do not get paid much either. So, as you always say, ‘Clean. Your. Planes.’ I often respond with something like, ‘Pay. Your. People.’ Because without the proper support, which is often a management and a business decision, it doesn’t get done right.
We, the passengers, and they, the workers, deserve better.
Gary, appreciate the facts and perspective. As you highlight, not a safety issue, but a huge courtesy issue.
Unfortunately I have not found any way to ensure that I am not seated next to a “nut” on a flight.
It would be uncouth to scatter peanut shells on the floor of Five Guys. The proper reference, Gary, is Texas Roadhouse.
Or “Texas Roadkill” as our family says….