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Hi Kim--

I can offer personal experience with this issue. I was a chaperon on a
school trip many years when two children with severe nut allergies reacted
to walnut shells used in a hands-on exhibition. Fortunately their parent
was equipped with epi-pens and they were able to buy time to get emergency
care. The shells were removed from the gallery floor shortly thereafter.

As the parent of a child with fatal allergies, clearly posted warnings and
signage are a must--if you must. It's my feeling however, that the best
course of action is to not use anything that might cause a severe reaction
in the first place.

What about shredded/crumbled cork?

Liza Rawson


On Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 2:19 PM, Kim Hunter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> As many museums and science centers have done, we have been using walnut
> shells in our fossil dig pits.  However, it has come to our attention
> that there could be issues regarding walnut shell allergies. Has anyone
> encountered any issues using walnut shells?  If so, did you discontinue
> using them - what did you replace with?   Or did you continue to use
> them and posted signs warning of possible reactions?
>
>
>
> --Kim
>
>
>
> Kim Hunter
>
> Senior Director, Exhibit Development
>
> Orlando Science Center
>
> 407/514-2061
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> Inspire Science Learning for Life
>
>
>
>
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> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and
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-- 
*Liza Reich Rawson
Senior Exhibition Developer & Project Manager
Exhibitions & Featured Experiences
Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park
222 Jersey City Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07305 USA
T: 201.253.1445
F: 201.451.6383*
E: [log in to unmask]

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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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