Do you really know what is in your favorite lotion or even your toothpaste? A facial scrub may contain walnuts or shower gel might contain almond oil. Allergen labeling like that which is currently required for food items in the United States is not required for non-food items. This means that we may be exposing our allergic family members to potentially harmful substances. It is difficult to select products with much confidence in their allergen content or lack thereof.Oftentimes, individuals with food allergies only experience an allergic reaction upon ingesting the allergen. Reactions triggered by skin contact or inhalation may remain unknown until the situation arises. Few people would want to risk a reaction by failing to avoid a known allergen. Here are a few websites which provide lists of non-food items that may contain the top 8 allergens.
3 comments:
Thank you for this post. I never used to think about what was in our bath products other than heavy perfumes. Then one night my 6 yr old was in the shower and I heard her coughing. When I checked on her I realized she had used her sisters face scrub containing ground walnut shells. Luckily a Benadryl and a hit of her inhaler took care of it, but it was scary and believe me I am a lot more careful now.
Thanks for your comment! I wonder--now that we know we have a peanut allergy in the family--if all those mysterious hive outbreaks were caused by some non-food item containing peanut. We could never figure it out. I do wish the food labeling law could have included non-food items too!
Thank you for this post. I had a contact reaction last night and I am trying to figure out cause.
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