What do you do when you’re an adult and have severe allergies? You’re expected to take responsibility and manage your allergies, but that can also require the understanding and cooperation of your employers and co-workers. As the prevalence of allergies rises, this is becoming more of an issue for employers. Anne Barker looks at some of the problems people with allergies face in the workplace and what employers can do to help ensure their safety.


Sarah Naude is so acutely sensitive to egg and dairy that the smallest amount will send her into anaphylaxis shock. Previously she worked in a closed office that helped protect her but she now works in an open plan office that makes it difficult to avoid any egg and dairy food her colleagues bring to work.

“I have had to ask my work colleagues to stop heating or cooking eggs and mixing protein shakes where the milk powder goes into the air, and restrict making or eating them to the opposite side of the office. It’s embarrassing but people are very understanding when they are made aware that I could die from contact with these foods.”

Recently all her warning symptoms — sneezing uncontrollably, eyes watering badly and wheezing — were activated. A girl sitting two desks away from Sarah suddenly realised the egg she was eating was the cause and hurried out of the office. Sarah went outside for some fresh air, took an antihistamine tablet and an hour later stopped sneezing. Had she stayed in the office a moment longer, she would have risked a full anaphylactic reaction.

What is anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction, which is potentially life threatening, and must be treated immediately with adrenaline. An anaphylactic reaction often involves more than one body system, affecting skin, respiratory, gastro-intestinal and cardio-vascular systems. A severe allergic reaction can occur immediately or up to 20 minutes after exposure to the trigger and can rapidly become life threatening.
Common triggers of anaphylaxis include various food, bee and wasp stings, medication and exposure to latex. The most common food triggers that cause 90 per cent of allergic reactions are milk, eggs, soy, fish, crustaceans, sesame seeds, peanuts and tree nuts.

Between 6 and 8 per cent of children and 2 to 4 per cent of adults have an identified food allergy, and about 1 per cent of the population is at risk of anaphylaxis. That’s around 40,000 New Zealanders.

Food risks

Dot Louie has multiple severe allergies and is anaphylactic to cashews, pistachio nuts and some antibiotics. A severe anaphylactic episode at a restaurant almost killed her, but fortunately friends recognised the symptoms and rushed her to hospital.
Within seconds of eating the suspect food, Dot’s face swelled and she couldn’t speak. By the time she got to hospital 30 minutes later she had blacked out and her vital organs were shutting down.

“It took me two weeks to accept I had nearly died, and then I couldn’t sleep due to panic attacks. When I had blood tests a month later to check my allergen levels they were sky high. I was in a demanding job and had to work short hours for a month because I was so ill. My employers didn’t understand how sick I was and I felt pressured to leave my job.”

Any food can trigger anaphylaxis and even trace amounts of food or the smell of food can cause a life-threatening reaction in extremely sensitive people. Sarah finds that if office mugs and glasses are only rinsed under running water and not washed in the dishwasher, her lips can swell if there is even the slightest contact with food the previous user has left. “However it’s up to me to make my colleagues aware and protect myself,” she says.

Excerpted from the Winter 2007 issue of Allergy Today. To order that issue or to subscribe to Allergy Today, click here.