Balloon Free High Schools

[NinaBella]

Anyone's kid go to a Balloon Free High School? I admit, I googled this last night after getting a school wide robo call reminding students of the Latex ban at their school. I found articles from 2003 of schools banning balloons. The message stated there is a student with a severe latex allergy and because of Valentines day, they wanted to remind parents and students not to bring latex balloons. It also said not to send large deliveries to the school. Latex balloons were allowed last year, my daughter took some to school for her BF birthday.

I am aware some are allergic to latex, I just didn't know someone at her school had such a severe allergy that they started banning latex balloons this year. I asked my kid and she said "yea, if he is in the same room as a balloon, he can like die." (kids words) So, latex allergies can be as severe as peanut allergies where they can not be in the same room? My younger sister has a severe peanut allergy and ended up in the ER during her first date because the guy had something with nuts in his food. After eating they went to hang out near the lake and talk and she broke out into a huge rash, started vomiting, not feeling well, etc. so the guy had to call 911.

I have to say their school does a good job at educating students. Their school put out notices a few months before gaining a student with a service dog on campus. They did a lot of preparing and educating the kids on not to pet the dog, etc.

I guess before last night, I didn't know this was wide-spread "balloon ban" for schools. Google search reveals it's all balloons at most schools. My kids school currently still allows mylar balloons.

Any other schools have bans on other things out of the norm (although I am sure balloon bans is a social norm at a lot of schools). I am sensitive to smells, so sometimes perfumes and flowers causes my sinus to go crazy. Early morning school walks down the hallway in high school put me into a sneezing frenzy.

 

[tzolkin]

I had not heard of balloon bans before either.

I have a latex allergy, but it’s relatively mild and I have to actually touch the item.

My husband has told me that there have been studies and issues over the years with both patients and staff having allergic reactions to latex particles in the air during surgery, but I believe that was specifically due to the powder in the latex gloves (which gets into the air and then people inhale).

 

[tvguy]

Given all the allergies kids have these days, seems reasonable. My mom was a surgical nurse and allergic to latex so had to use gum rubber surgical gloves.
The only balloon issue I am aware of here has to do with mylar balloons. The local utilities this week all put out alerts about not buying helium filled mylar balloons for Valentines Day because they can drift up into power lines and cause power outages....and average of one a day in Pacific Gas and Electric's service area.

 

[nephthys43]

Our entire district has been latex-free for years. There are signs on the doors when you walk in.

 

[gemini2727]

The hospital where I worked has banned visitors from bringing latex balloons to patients for years now. The mylar foil-type are allowed. Apparently, latex balloons have an extremely high level of latex proteins.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Anyone's kid go to a Balloon Free High School? I admit, I googled this last night after getting a school wide robo call reminding students of the Latex ban at their school. I found articles from 2003 of schools banning balloons. The message stated there is a student with a severe latex allergy and because of Valentines day, they wanted to remind parents and students not to bring latex balloons. It also said not to send large deliveries to the school. Latex balloons were allowed last year, my daughter took some to school for her BF birthday.

I am aware some are allergic to latex, I just didn't know someone at her school had such a severe allergy that they started banning latex balloons this year. I asked my kid and she said "yea, if he is in the same room as a balloon, he can like die." (kids words) So, latex allergies can be as severe as peanut allergies where they can not be in the same room? My younger sister has a severe peanut allergy and ended up in the ER during her first date because the guy had something with nuts in his food. After eating they went to hang out near the lake and talk and she broke out into a huge rash, started vomiting, not feeling well, etc. so the guy had to call 911.

I have to say their school does a good job at educating students. Their school put out notices a few months before gaining a student with a service dog on campus. They did a lot of preparing and educating the kids on not to pet the dog, etc.

I guess before last night, I didn't know this was wide-spread "balloon ban" for schools. Google search reveals it's all balloons at most schools. My kids school currently still allows mylar balloons.

Any other schools have bans on other things out of the norm (although I am sure balloon bans is a social norm at a lot of schools). I am sensitive to smells, so sometimes perfumes and flowers causes my sinus to go crazy. Early morning school walks down the hallway in high school put me into a sneezing frenzy.

Wel it's not just schools that do latex bans.

When I worked at the insurance company all buildings were latex free buildings. They sold latex free balloons in the small stores inside the buildings though so you could still have balloons too. It had been the rule for years though. And I don't think it was a rule because of one employee or two employees, etc It was just a precautionary thing especially because employees come and go it was easier to just ban latex then to be wishy washy on it.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I've actually never been in a building that had a latex ban.

I guess people with an allergy so bad that they can't be in the same school with a balloon, never go into stores? I know that our local grocery store has balloons, as do most mega marts.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've actually never been in a building that had a latex ban.

I guess people with an allergy so bad that they can't be in the same school with a balloon, never go into stores? I know that our local grocery store has balloons, as do most mega marts.

Every store that I've been into that has balloons has them in a specific area. And if you go into a place like Party City, etc they are behind the counter or displayed by the balloon being in the air thus away from the person. As far as the office building that I mentioned...imagine cubicles all over the place..there's no way to avoid latex if it's all around you thus they banned it. You could still have those flashy 'Happy Birthday' 'Happy Valentine's Day', 'Congrats' balloons they were just not allowed to be latex ones.

Acceptable:


Not acceptable:

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Every store that I've been into that has balloons has them in a specific area. And if you go into a place like Party City, etc they are behind the counter or displayed by the balloon being in the air thus away from the person. As far as the office building that I mentioned...imagine cubicles all over the place..there's no way to avoid latex if it's all around you thus they banned it. You could still have those flashy 'Happy Birthday' 'Happy Valentine's Day', 'Congrats' balloons they were just not allowed to be latex ones.

Right, but if you couldn't be in a building with them, how could you be in the store with them simply to the side?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Right, but if you couldn't be in a building with them, how could you be in the store with them simply to the side?

Because you can more easily avoid them I imagine. Hard to avoid them in an office or school setting when they can be all around you.

Latex is usually exposure related. Seeing a balloon behind a counter wouldn't trigger the allergy or seeing it in the Celebration area of the store you are in. And the places that sell them that I've been to in order to blow them up for you it's a specialized area you would be going to. But bumping into it because your coworker had it on their desk and the coworker behind you had one and so on or the student who got one delivered to them (I could see placing on lockers in the hallway or delivered to the classroom , etc) the exposure chance is much much higher.

 

[WVMomof3]

My daughter graduated 2 years ago and all of her schools have been latex free the whole time. I know there was a kid a year older than her that had a severe latex allergy, so guessing it started with him, but not sure, I just know that all 3 schools have all posted signs on doors that it is latex free. I have no idea if it is district wide or not.

 

[dclpluto]

Are you sure your daughter wasn’t kissing that guy? You said they were just talking.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Balloons are bad if they get loose. Mylar can shut down the electrical system if they get tangled in wires and other components. Latex don't degrade and are eaten by birds and water animals and then the animals die. Several states have bans on balloon releases and those darned lanterns as well (now those are super dangerous - who would think letting a lit candle fly into the night sky would be a good thing?).

 

[RangerPooh]

I don;t know about it being banned for latex allergies, but our school district bans balloons at all three school levels. So no balloon or flower deliveries on your birthday or holidays.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Balloons are bad if they get loose. Mylar can shut down the electrical system if they get tangled in wires and other components. Latex don't degrade and are eaten by birds and water animals and then the animals die. Several states have bans on balloon releases and those darned lanterns as well (now those are super dangerous - who would think letting a lit candle fly into the night sky would be a good thing?).

We went to a wedding like 6 or 7 years ago and they had their guests take those lanterns in a field and light then let them go up in the sky---sounds really cool in theory. In practice is was a bunch of people wearing and dealing with flammable stuff taking forever to get the candle to light and stay lit (while trying not to get burned in the process) and have it actually go up in the air. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

 

[Magpie]

We went to a wedding like 6 or 7 years ago and they had their guests take those lanterns in a field and light then let them go up in the sky---sounds really cool in theory. In practice is was a bunch of people wearing and dealing with flammable stuff taking forever to get the candle to light and stay lit (while trying not to get burned in the process) and have it actually go up in the air. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

And here I thought it was a miracle we got through the last midnight Christmas Eve service with little wee candles and those paper holders, without setting the entire church on fire!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Given all the allergies kids have these days, seems reasonable. My mom was a surgical nurse and allergic to latex so had to use gum rubber surgical gloves.
The only balloon issue I am aware of here has to do with mylar balloons. The local utilities this week all put out alerts about not buying helium filled mylar balloons for Valentines Day because they can drift up into power lines and cause power outages....and average of one a day in Pacific Gas and Electric's service area.

Oh please tell my why in my area we have power outtages for no reason....ugh