British newspapers have revealed that BBC newsroom staff recently enforced banana-free zones in certain areas of the corporation's Broadcasting House building because one member of the team has an allergy to the fruit. The Daily Telegraph reported:
Posters have been put up at the corporation’s new Broadcasting House featuring a picture of a banana with a large cross through it. It is feared one member of staff could suffer an unpleasant allergic reaction if she comes into contact with a banana.
It's important to point out that the ban hasn't been imposed by the BBC itself but by staff concerned for their colleague's wellbeing.
A spokesman for the BBC told the Telegraph: 'The posters placed in specific areas of the newsroom have been put up by staff out of courtesy for a fellow colleague who has a strong medical sensitivity to bananas which can lead to severe symptoms.” The newspaper added:
Banana allergies are understood to come in two forms, with some sufferers reacting to tree pollens and others to a substance similar to that in natural latex.
It can sometimes take the form of a rash, sickness or tingling of the lips, tongue and throat.
Those who suffer a more extreme form of the allergy can go into anaphylactic shock, where the mouth, throat and airways can constrict. Without prompt treatment, such a reaction can lead to death.
