1.   Anyone who comes into contact with an allergic child knows about the allergy and emergency plans in case of a reaction, Raymond said.

2.   But for many parents of very allergic children, no precaution goes far enough.

3.   Concerned that a child who has just eaten peanut butter might hold hands with an allergic child, schools now encourage children to become compulsive hand-washers.

4.   More recently, newspapers have carried reports of schools banning peanuts and peanut butter from their lunchrooms in response to demands by parents of highly allergic children.

5.   Most allergic children, except perhaps the very youngest, understand that they should not eat peanut butter, he said.

6.   Parents of allergic children comb school menus and inspect cupboards for suspect ingredients, even shadowing their children at lunch or on field trips.

7.   The study tracked the blood chemistry and allergic symptoms in two groups of children allergic to dust mites.