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I'm anaphylactic to nuts, will touching walnut wood and eating afterwards cause an allergic reaction?

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Question
Nut-anaphylactic car enthusiast here. I touch walnut wood in luxury cars on the dashboard, the shifter, etc. Will touching walnut wood and eating afterward cause an allergic reaction?
Answer

The allergen in the tree pollen is a specific protein found in the pollen and not in the wood. Touching the wood of the same tree would not pose a risk.

Categories
Food Allergy, Tree Nut Allergy
Answered by

Douglas T. Johnston, DO, FAAAAI, FACAAI, is an allergist/clinical immunologist at Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Assistant Professor at Edward Via School of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is a fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). He has lectured at national and international medical conferences and has publications in several medical journals, including “Clinical Immunology,” “World Allergy Organization Journal,” “Journal of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology,” “The Journal of the American Medical Association,” and the “New England Journal of Medicine.”

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