<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Dear List mates,

My original question was:  Would baking with wheat on a regular basis
pose a risk?

The two main concerns that were addressed were ingesting airborne gluten
and contaminating the kitchen.

20 people thought it WOULD pose a risk, at least to some degree.
7 people thought it WOULD NOT pose a risk.
Others simply said it was an individual matter

4 people mentioned the length of time flour dust stays airborne.  The
range was from 2 hrs. to 4 days.

Of those who indicated whether they keep a gluten free kitchen or not, it
was a tie.

A few ideas were using a mask, mixing the flour outside, and buying
ingredients at Chinese or Indian stores to cut down the cost of cooking
GF for the whole family.  I also received a warning about the
effectiveness of the masks.  I'll include that at the end of this letter
for those who are interested.

8 people said they bake with wheat flour and don't have any problems.

4 people reported having reactions themselves to airborne gluten.  Here
are their responses:

1. Some, like me, my daughter and my mother are hypersynsitive to it,
and yes - it is a very bad thing for us.  We can't even go into a pizza
place or bakery.  Our skin errupts, our throat and head hurts, no
diarreah, but the "migraines" are terrible!

2. The absolute worst gluten reaction I have had was from accidentally
inhaling wheat flour dust!!  For 24 hours, beginning about 30 minutes
after inhaling the dust, I felt as if I had a really horrible case of
the flu.

3. I cannot even breathe the fumes from the dry flour!  I am a very
sensitive celiac though.  I cannot get crumbs anywhere around me.

4. some people have problems even walking past a bakery. (I got nauseated
one day, just walking into one with a friend; I had to leave immediately
and wait outside, but I didn't feel well for quite a while; she told me
that the special of the day was high-gluten whole wheat muffins!)

It is evident that while some people have reactions others don't.  My
question then became whether damage would be done even if I didn't have a
reaction.  I thought these two responses were interesting in that regard.

1.  "Apparently not. I raised a family, baking bread and cookies and
pies. I was careful not to make a dust of the flour and kept utensiles
very clean. I used a separate flour sifter for my own baking. I never
had reactions from just handling the wheat flour. I am in good health,
very active, and will be 80 next month. I was diagnosed in 1958. Hope
this eases your mind!"

2.  "I had to make home made bread for my daughter for years because the
additives in regular store bread gave her headaches.  I have also made
play dough with the wheat bread.  I understand that some people cannot
do this but I was never bothered and have had several biopsies that show
that I have had no damage from doing this."

One person referred me to the archives, and if anyone is interested in
reading more try #21343 Summary Airborne Gluten Reactions and #17699
Summary:  Gluten in the air?

I appreciate everyone's response.  You gave me a lot to think about.  In
the time since I posted my question, I think I have noticed some
reactions to airborne gluten.  Though nothing dramatic, enough to make me
feel poorly, especially in the head and throat.  After receiving your
input and discussing it with my husband, my plan for now is to not bake
with wheat flour.  The rest of the family will continue to use some wheat
products, but those will be bought and we will all be careful about
contamination.  I do plan on sharing my GF baked goods with the family
and so far they have been pleased with our GF dinners.

Thanks!  Linda in Maryland

Here's the mask info.

As a Safety Professional, I have to warn you that the mask
may not necessarily be enough unless it is a professional
one properly fitted to your face.  The trouble with those
is that they are expensive.  The best would be an
"Airstream" type which pulls air through a filter and then
blows the clean air down in front of your face.  They're
pretty expensive of course....

The sort of paper mask the we buy in local DIY shops will
intercept little more than two thirds of the dust, unless
you find one that fits your face shape very exactly.

Sorry to be a bit depressing but when I was doing my Health
and Safety degree, we had a PhD student who demonstrated
that only about 20% of masks and face shapes gave any
protection at all.  Things are better now but beware of a
mask designed for a man on a woman's face (virtually
useless), a mask designed for a white worker on a black
person (and vice versa) and so on.