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

I've gotten quite a few replies already to my questions on sulfites.
As to symptoms--throwing up or diarrhea,  were the
main ones mentioned.  People with asthma are often very sensitive to
sulfites.  The FDA requires that if there are more than 10 parts per
million it must be stated on the packaging.  However, sulfites are
sometimes used in the cellophane packaging that fresh fruits or
vegetables are wrapped in and in that case it won't be mentioned in
the ingredients. Sulfites are primarily used to maintain the fresh
appearance of the food and that is why they are sometimes used in
salad bars. They are also used a great deal on grapes and thus may
be present in some wines. For more details check out these sites:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/misc/sulfites.html

and

http://www.openseason.com/annex/library/cic/X0036_foodpres.txt.html

One person mentioned that on the National News in March there were
warnings to asthmatics about the possibility of sulfites being in
tuna.  They didn't know whether this was a continuing problem or not.

I didn't bring this up to unduly worry anyone.  Most people probably
are not sensitive to sulfites.  But I think there are probably many
celiacs and celiac spouses (like me) who sometimes are tearing their
hair out trying to figure out what gluten could have possibly sneaked
in to cause the latest "reaction",  when it may not have been gluten
at all and other sensitivities should be explored.  I appreciate
everyone's replies.  We had suspected a problem with sulfites and had
eliminated all known sources.  However, the information has
definitely solved our personal mystery as my husband had a
particularly violent episode of diarrhea following two occasions of
eating mushrooms and cauliflower respectively which were cellophane
wrapped. We had eliminated every other possibility of gluten
contamination since his diet has become so simple and basic and we
make everything from scratch, so we were totally mystified at first
until we considered the sulfite possibility.

Now does anyone know of a reliable way to wash off sulfites if you
suspect that there may be some on your fruit or vegetables?

Thanks again to everyone who replied.

Cyndee Burgess
Reserve, New Mexico