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I am a member of a food coop that requires members to do a 2 3/4 hour 
work slot every four weeks. I have been getting a celiac reaction 
from working on the selling floor. I rarely walk down the bulk bin 
aisle, though I have to be at the end of it. And I never walk down 
the bread aisle, but again I must be at the end of it. The end of 
bread aisle stinks of wheat. They have fresh bread delivered daily 
that is barely wrapped. (Actually I think some is delivered unwrapped 
and workers put in paper bags. I have refused to work in that aisle.)

For my work slot I can switch to doing something in the office 
upstairs. But I think I am also getting a reaction from just shopping there.

I had food intolerance testing done by Optimum Health Resource 
Laboratories. They advertise here on some firsts of the month. The 
tests showed me high for wheat (white and whole), spelt, rye, but not barley.

In the bulk bin they sell wheats and spelt. No rye flour. This 
implies that the rye is also coming from the bread and not just 
particulates in the air from people filling the bulk bins. The bins 
are filled all the time. I went on Sunday morning at 6:15 AM and 
there was a fellow pouring some flour into a bin.

My question is can I remain a member and shop there, or should I quit 
and accept substantially higher prices for my food elsewhere? If I 
remain a member, I would want to shop with a face mask. A fellow 
suggested I write across the front something like: "I am very 
allergic to wheat dust/fumes."

But will a face mask be enough? Do I have to wear a respirator? I 
have one, but it would look awfully odd wearing a respirator every 
time I shop there for the next 30 years.

Am I only being troubled by the particulates, or is the smell of the 
bread getting to me? If it is the smell, would anything less than a 
respirator work?

Getting more food intolerance testing along the way to see if 
shopping and not working is okay is very expensive.

Does anyone have any insight on being safe from bread fumes?

Don.

P.S. I got the food intolerance testing to try to find the cause of a 
mild case of psoriasis. I know gluten is high on the list of causes, 
but I have been strict gluten-free for 23 years. It now seems that 
gluten is my cause. It takes time for the psoriasis clear. I can 
follow it with shopping and not working to see what happens. But what 
type of face mask to start with?

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