Fair Lawn Installs Food Allergy Alert Signs At Playgrounds

FAIR LAWN, NJ – An effort is underway in Fair Lawn to make playgrounds safer for children with severe food allergies.

The borough recently installed signs at 10 parks, reminding people to eat only in designated areas and to wash hands before using playground equipment to prevent cross contamination.

Councilman Josh Reinitz said officials began looking into signage after hearing about them from Jessica Statham, a local mother whose six-year-old son has food allergies.

Statham said she sought out the borough after seeing a few articles about communities in other parts of the country that installed signs as a way to bring awareness and educate the public about the dangers of food allergies.

“I thought they would be helpful because many people who don’t live and deal with food allergies don’t understand the risk that the residues can lead to,” she said. “Contact reactions happen all the time, not just through ingestion.”

“If the signs just reached one family and made them stop and think twice before allowing their children to eat on playgrounds, then it is beneficial, and could even avoid an allergic reaction,” the mother said. “I know the signs won’t stop all people from eating, but it’s a start.”

About 32 million Americans have food allergies, including 5.6 million children under age 18, according to Food Allergy Research and Education statistics. That translates into about one in 13 children – or roughly two in every classroom.

And, food allergies are on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reported that the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50% between 1997 and 2011. During that time, the number of children with peanut or tree nut allergies has more than tripled, the CDC said.

Food allergy reactions are serious and can be life threatening, also. The number of children hospitalized for food allergy reactions tripled between the late 1990s and mid-2000s, according to the Food Allergy Research and Education organization.

And, more than 40 percent of children with food allergies have experienced a severe allergic reaction, such as anaphylaxis.

Statham’s son, James, was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at 14-months-old after suffering anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can lead to a drop in blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

“There would be many times where we would be at a park and see children eating peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter cookies or other peanut butter foods while on the playground or climbing on the equipment,” she said. “The risk of cross contact wasn’t worth us staying, so we would leave.”

Statham said, “As a parent of food allergy children, we have to advocate for them when they aren’t able to. All we want is for our children to feel included as much as possible. There are too many other situations where they are often excluded – they usually can’t have cake at the birthday parties, sitting at the allergy table at school and not having ice cream from a local store, just to name a few.”

As of Aug. 5, allergy warning signs were posted in the Memorial Pool Playground, Center Recreation Playground, Berdan Grove Playground, Gregory Park Playground,Dobrow Sports Complex Playground, Brookdale Park Playground, Edison Park Playground, Everett (Etler) Park Playground, Warren Point Annex Playgroundand Beaverdam Park Playground.

Reinitz said each sign cost $17, funding that was taken out of the 2019 capital budget’s line item for signage, which meant officials were able to purchase the signage “at no additional tax impact to our residents.”

He added: “We are very fortunate to have both a governing body and Borough Manager who are very responsive to the requests of our residents. To be able to have this accomplished in essentially 5 weeks from initial contact to installation is a credit to everyone involved.”

Statham said she and her son are thrilled with how proactive the town was.

"I'm so happy it happened," she said.