Dust cause of peanut allergy

SCOTS scientists have helped crack the mystery of why some children develop peanut allergies without eating a single nut.

The team found that ‘peanut dust’ is floating around a third of UK homes – and if it comes in contact with a youngster who has a common skin condition such as eczema, there is an 85 per cent chance they will develop a potentially fatal peanut allergy.

The peanut dust causes this effect because it is small enough to enter the child’s system through broken skin.

Researchers at Dundee University were part of the team that found peanut dust even in homes where nobody ate the snack.

The academics recommend that parents should cover affected skin in plenty of moisturiser and that extra care be taken to clean all surfaces of dust.