Nurse Says Halloween Candy With Nuts Can Be Deadly

(Nashville, TN) -- With an increase in the number of children who are allergic to nuts, passing out Halloween candy to young ghosts and goblins who ring your doorbell can be tricky.
Shannon Alley, a registered nurse who works at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, says it's best to separate different types of candy, even though they are individually wrapped.
She says wrappers can tear easily and accidentally cross-contaminate candy that doesn't have nuts in it.
Alley adds that the safest option of all is to not hand out candy with nuts in it to trick-or-treaters.
She says all parents should check their children's Halloween candy before allowing them to eat any of it.
This is especially important for parents who have a child who is allergic to nuts.
An estimated three-million children suffer from some type of food allergy.
In severe cases, such conditions can be deadly.

(Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions)
RNS-10-30-08 0313CDT