If you work in a bakery or a restaurant that bakes from scratch or if someone in your home bakes with wheat flour, you should know that flour (and therefore gluten) gets in the air and can be a risk to your health.
Flour is light enough that is goes flying when doughs and batters are mixed, and the small flour particles hang in the air. You might be wondering if flour in the air can cause a gluten reaction.
Can flour in the air cause a gluten reaction?
I believe that flour in the air can cause a gluten reaction. Here’s why.
For those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, gluten causes a reaction in the digestive tract. That means that breathing gluten into your lungs shouldn’t cause a reaction. The problem is that when you breath it in through your mouth and nose, those particles of flour can become trapped in your saliva and mucus and then be swallowed. At that point it enters your digestive system.
That is one reason that I removed all wheat flour from my kitchen and have not baked with it since I went gluten free. In their bulletin, Producing Gluten-Free Products in a Non-Dedicated Kitchen, the Gluten Intolerance Group says that flour can hang in the air up to 24 hours. That’s a long time.
One time my gluten-free son went to a friend’s house. That friend’s mom does a lot of baking, and that particular day she had really done a lot of baking. My son didn’t eat anything while he was there. Later that evening and the next morning he had diarrhea, one of his typical reactions. We went over everything he had eaten, and nothing seemed to be questionable. It is likely he was reacting to gluten that got into his digestive tract from the flour that was in the air at his friend’s house.
Another reason that I don’t bake with wheat flour and don’t recommend that anyone does if there is a gluten-free person in the house (whether it is the baker or not), is that flour in the air eventually settles on surfaces. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to do, but I think it would be very difficult to make sure that all flour is always cleaned up from appliances, work surfaces, eating surfaces, etc.
Another way gluten might get in the air
There is no doubt about it when you use aerosol sprays that the substance gets in the air as well as where it was intended to go. I really don’t like aerosols, but for some reason I got hooked on a particular aerosol hair spray that I used for months. One day I thought to read the ingredients and found that it contained wheat flour lipids. Trust me, I am kicking myself for not checking that sooner.
Consider checking the ingredients on any aerosols or other types of sprays you have.
So then I must ask…how gluten-free can pizza be from a pizzeria where flour dust is in the air all day long?
I would not risk it. 🙂
I have celiac disease and this winter, in spite of taking great care with my diet, broke out in a horrible celiac rash. It made me suffer for months and now I think I know the reason… As a singer I began singing in an Italian/pizza restaurant. When the kitchen baked pizza I would cough and choke and fight my way through my song but it never occured to me that airborne gluten might be causing my rash. My last night as the restaurant is tonight. If this is the solution to my troubles I will be very relieved.
Teresa, I’m sorry you have suffered through that. I bet you will notice a difference not working there.
I try to not even go in the bread isle. My local grocery store recently rearranged their store and all of a sudden I was in the bread isle, Yikes, I tried to hold my breath and navagate the people. I don’t know if I have celiac because I stopped eating gluten 3 years ago due to stomach pain and more, you all know. Anyway they can’t test apparently if you aren’t eating it. I am also extremely sensitive to any amount of MSG, just because it says no msg does not mean there is none, just not the percentage that makes them disclose it as msg. It is in many other names. I know that msg is something that celiacs are also supposed to try to avoid. Good luck to us. Seems between the two I can hardly eat anything anywhere but my own home without ending up sick. Anyone have any good tips besides just bringing my own food and snacks which I do. I always carry something in my purse for those times when there is nothing I can eat mostly for myself so I don’t feel left out but others feel better too if you are eating with them. It’s such a pain that food has become such an enemy to me.
Hi Pamela – This happened to me too! Very similar. I recently went to a ND who ordered tests from Cyrex Labs. Come to find out, I’m not gluten-sensitive…I’m allergic to wheat and also sorghum, which happens to be in most gluten-free products that I had been eating. Also, a lot of my processed foods (like oatmeal) were made in facilities that also process wheat products. For years and years I’ve avoided gluten but remained sickly. For the last 3 months, since having this information, I have avoided wheat and sorghum and feel amazing. Don’t stop searching for the answer…and good luck!
Absolutely don’t trust… I had one and got sick…..
Unless you cook it at home that’s the only way that you can ensure that it is gluten free…
I am so happy to see others realize that smells do cause us issues!!! Long before I went gluten free, I would cover my nose when I went through the bread isle and the cookies,sugar, ect. At that time, I loved bread. I went gluten free and saw symptons disappear. When I walked into a Subway sandwich shop with friends, I wanted a bottle of water, the yeasty smell was thick, and I realized I needed to leave. by the time I got into the car, I had allegic shiners!! Dark circles around my eyes, and the nasal drip that I had had for years, constantly. That stopped after being gluten free for 3 days. Smells are tiny particles of the real thing, It is not my imagination!!
I had a severe reaction recently when my husband I were driving around a neighborhood that housed a large factory that produced pizza dough. At first it was a lightheaded feeling (not a huge deal), but then it progressed into asthma and stomach cramps, and an overall feeling of panic. My gluten intolerance used to produce a strange feeling in my guts that I used to mistake for panic, now I know it was just a reaction to gluten. I’ve been gluten free for 5 years – have a dedicated kitchen – and still cannot breathe it. I won’t even go into a pizza shop or near noodles boiling! I never have that panic feeling unless I’ve been exposed to gluten.
Wow! Just from driving around the neighborhood! Thanks for sharing your experience. Some one else might experience that panic feeling too.
Wow, thank you for sharing that. I did not know that gluten could do all of that. I just recently found out that I have a gluten allergy, and my Dr and I are discussing some of the reactions that I am noticing when I come in contact with it. those are some of the symptoms I’ve had, but i did not know that could cause it. So, than you again.
You’re welcome, Amanda. Thanks for commenting!
I can relate here I sit searching for an answer I breath in wheat dust and have reaction it occurs immediately and has a panic component certain grocery stores I cannot go into restaurants are out of the question but big problem is no one understands. If I just stay home for a couple of week I feel just great but go out grocery shopping and so on and I wish I would have stayed home…. anyway now I know I am not the only one!.
Wow I have celiac disease and have been gluten free for months now. But I work in a pizza place. I wondered why I am sick everyday that I am there.
It all can be very confounding. For instance, in speaking with a nutritionist, the subject of toothpaste came up. Although she could think of only one that may contain gluten, she said that in order to cause any intestinal damage, one would have to eat 6-7 tubes of the paste. Same with shampoos that may enter your mouth and thereby, the intestinal tract.
I realize flour is highly concentrated, so that makes a big difference in how someone extremely sensitive would react. My point is, everyones body will react differently and has varying extremes to how they react to gluten. I can eat GF pizza from a place that makes regular pizza with no reaction (that I’m aware of). However, it stands to reason that it truly can’t be gluten free with flour particles floating around and settling all day. Question is, at what PPM are the particles that make it onto or in the gluten free pizza?
If you’re sensitive, don’t do it.
I think many people react to far less than what “they” say it takes to make you sick. Besides, I would rather use gluten free products, even if something does only contain a tiny amount. I wish there was more research done on how much gluten it takes to cause intestinal damage. I think many people who rely on their symptoms (and don’t have them) may be doing their bodies harm. Thanks for your input!
Hi there, there’s actually plenty of research on this matter and the scientific community has established that a lifelong daily intake of up to 20ppm of gluten is safe for most of those with CD or NCGS without causing any intestinal damage, although a small amount of people (in all studies) are known to suffer from intestinal damage with amounts around 10ppm. Considering the number of studies conducted and the number of subjects in each of the studies they’ve come to the conclusion that 20ppm is a good margin for the overall celiac population. But I must say that in most of these studies there are participants who quit when under 5ppm due to severe reactions, so it is very personal and there are a few people (yes they are the minority – myself included) who are extremely sensitive to nearly undetectable amounts of gluten. We should not take this lightly, and as Linda said, being asymptomatic does not mean one is safe, actually, being asymptomatic makes it even more difficult to control because you could be “getting glutened” with way over 20ppm quite often without even realizing it, and that is really harmful to your body. Even if you don’t feel bad, always go for truly gluten free meals from gluten free restaurants.
I’m fortunate to have access to the wholesaler who makes the pizza crust and can make it at home. 😀
Before I went wheat free, I couldn’t figure out why I’d feel ok, then go work in the kitchen, making pizza crust, bread, etc. And get so weak I couldn’t stand up.
Once I went wheat free, I figured it out. My daughters do all the baking now, and I try to stay out of the kitchen while they are working. I’m gong to have to be more diligent about having them clean up after themselves, though.
I have not removed all gluten and/or wheat products form my kitchen. There are 6 of us, and I’m the only one with difficulties. So I just try to be really careful.
Having gluten products in the kitchen is one thing, but having wheat flour around is something else. It is so very hard to avoid contamination from it, but I’ve already stated that in my blog post. Maybe you could get your daughters interested in gluten free baking. It would be a challenge for them, and they might need it one day.
Thanks for this post. The comments were informative, too. My girls are 13 & 15 and let the flour fly when they bake. lol I’m going to have to figure something out. Thanks!
I do hold my breath in the bread aisle 🙂
We are a gluten-free kitchen as well. We just remodeled, so we even have new counter-tops, along with having changed out our cutting boards when we first changed our diet.
GF pizza from the pizza place doesn’t bother me- but it’s a small family place and they are very careful. Salads in restaurants DO often bother me, and I think there must be gluten contamination from croutons all around their salad station. A baked potato seems to be the safer option for me when dining out.
I have VERY strong reactions to the smells of things I have allergies to, overall. Both of my daughters take an antibiotic that I am allergic to, and I can’t get it on my skin or breathe the smell of it or I will get light-headed and sometimes hives. The smell of kiwi makes me ill as well- I think it is my body’s way of saying, “Stay far away!” before I even attempt to eat it.
I’m glad I’m not alone in holding my breath. 🙂
That’s very interesting about kiwi. We don’t eat it often because some of us find it bothers our mouths.
Thanks for all your input on this topic.
I am allergic to kiwi as well. If I eat anything with it as an ingredient my throat gets itchy and I get these white canker sores all over the inside of my mouth.
I don’t avoid the bread isle like I do the baking isle where the flour is found!!! It seems likely that flour would be airborne all over the store from people picking up flour sacks, flour escaping from sack folds when the sack is inadvertently squeezed. But I believe it would be more concentrated in the flour isle! It’s impossible to avoid this isle completely because my GF rice milk is kept on the same isle!! (The much tastier Rice Dream, found in the refrigerator section, isn’t GF!) But I am only on the isle for the length of time that I can hold my breath! How stupid is that to have to walk through life holding your breath!! …I do plan to ask my grocer if they could store the milk alternatives somewhere other than directly across from the flour, since so many celiacs can’t do dairy either!
You’re right. Many gf people are also dairy free. I would definitely ask them to move it! I’m rather surprised that it’s there anyway. In the stores I shop at, milk substitutes are usually with the health foods and not in a primary part of the store.
I found this out the hard way when my son was starting baby cereal. The dust in the air from it made me quite ill so we switched him to rice and soy cereal instead.
Not giving him wheat cereal was probably better for him too! Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. I have been having a really bad gluten reaction for over a year now, to the point to where I feel ill just from smelling bread products on my wife’s work shirts. It really feels like I’m missing out on over 90% of food now. And my reactions last 72hrs now! I was really starting to give up hope. After reading this article and so many of the comments I feel a little better now. I’m not the only one. My doctor was completely clueless when it came to gluten intolerance. Maybe together we can change the standard? Feeling like I’m dying on the inside just from some cross contamination or breathing it in is too much. What am I supposed to do for work? And disability is hard to get.
I have symptoms from certain foods being heated or cooked as well. I assumed it was a heightened intolerance to wheat particles in the air, because it started just over a year after going gluten-free. It turned out I was reacting to the preservative manufactured citric acid. Listed on ingredient labels simply as “citric acid”. This preservative is produced using aspergillus niger, a type of black mold. Are you especially intolerant of mold?
I am sure that a lot of flour dust in the air can cause reactions. There’s a good amount of dust whenever I bake gluten-free goods, and, maybe, it’s just my imagination, but sometimes it even feels like I can taste the flour in my mouth after there has been a flour cloud… I am glad that there is rarely any gluten baking going on in our household, but, for example, I try to avoid breathing in the air that comes out of the “normal” cereal bags when I squeeze them to seal them.
My kids are big enough to close the cereal bags themselves, but that’s definitely something to consider if you are the one closing the bag. Thanks for your input.
Also – If you are Celiac or GF, beware of SWheat Scoop Cat litter – dust can get in air and on cats fur and somehow be ingested. Use “Worlds Best Cat Litter” Brand which is corn. And kiss your cats!
Great tip, Terri. Thanks for sharing it.
Old comment, but Fyi —Avoid Worlds Best Cat litter and any Corn litter—it’s made with GMO Corn and non-organic corn is heavily sprayed with Roundup herbicide now. There is a blog about cat owners sharing their cats getting upper respiratory congestion, sneezy & other ill symptoms from it. All of my cats got sick of using it for years. My vet changed us to “Yesterdays News Cat Litter” instead, which she said is safer & less allergenic too.
Thank you for this post. People think I’m crazy because I won’t let gluten of any sort in the house and won’t bake with wheat flour for other people. But, I know those flour clouds find their way down our throats!
And yeah, I hold my breath in the bakery aisle too! LOL
You’re welcome, and you are not crazy! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who holds my breath. 🙂
People are weird when it comes to reactions when they find out that you cant eat something. For some reason they understand about nut allergies but if it comes to a wheat allergy people seem to think its impossible. One person actually even argued with me that it was impossible to have a diet that did not include wheat and that I must have a very unhealthy diet as she could not live without pasta. Then she had no idea what was in wheat that made it so important to her diet but insisted that I had to have it in my diet.
People are weird that way.
I feel sick at my stomach in the bead isle now at the store. Also for those that don’t think that they get sick from air borne flour, remember that the Villi can flaten out without giving us symptoms.
Moe
Chickiepea & others in thinking about being sick from salads, think about those that handle hamburger buns and then make up salads, they don’t wash hands between. Also this is why I NEVER order a drink with ice in it, since gluten could be in the air and land in the ice machine undetected. Sometimes I think it’s not 1 time being glutened that makes us ill, it can be an accumulation of gluten through out the day, tiny bits here and there that add up.
Moe
You’re right. There are lots of opportunities for contamination when eating out. And I agree, small amounts of gluten can add up to cause bigger problems. Thanks for your input.
Excellent post, Linda! And there are many good points shared in the comments, too. I’ve actually read that flour can stay airborne for much longer, and I tend to believe that considering how I can see firsthand how dust particles can fly around my house.
When I first went gluten free (8 years ago), I continued doing some baking with gluten-full flour for a very short time. Even early in being gluten free–and therefore probably still having gluten in my system–I didn’t feel well after I baked with gluten. So I gave that flour away and started baking completely gf for all of us. I’m still surprised at families that continue using gluten-full flours for some baking in their homes even if they don’t consume it themselves. Even if one does not have outward symptoms, it’s simply not safe. Usually when you talk to these folks, many have health issues that they don’t tie to still getting gluten.
I hold my breath when I’m near bakeries (walking by the sourdough factory in San Francisco with the steam pouring out required an extra long breath … I was wishing for a mask at the time!) or even when we’re on the motorcycle and riding past wheat fields and either the wind is blowing or the wheat is being cultivated. I won’t eat at places like Panera Bread or Subway where there is bread being made.
I’m glad you figured out that your hairspray contained wheat. I think they usually do. I always feel like anything like that lands on my tongue and my hands, and if I later touch my hands to my mouth wiping off smudged lipstick or something … well, the chances of ingesting it are pretty high I think.
Finally, we get a lot of advice from others about having to consume “tons” of this or “tons” of that for the products to harm us, but if we truly listen to our bodies, we’ll figure out what’s safe for us. If we’re eating a lot of processed foods, with a “gluten-free” label or not, it’s hard to know where the source of our woes are. Heck, it’s even hard to recognize we’re having problems, because we may be constantly getting small amounts of gluten. But it we are largely eating whole foods (and making meals from them), then when we add in products and have an issue, we are more likely to recognize it.
Thanks, Linda! Stay safe, all. Off to share,
Shirley
Shirley, thanks for your input and for sharing the post!
We have a no-gluten-flour rule at our house. I’m the only one with gluten problems, but I’m also the main cook. So if my husband and daughter want to eat wheat bread and crackers, that’s fine. They might even indulge in a frozen pizza or something like that. But a gastroenterologist put the fear of flour into me early on, and I avoid it like the plague.
That’s how it is at our house too, except that now one of my kids is gluten free also.
Call me crazy but gluten in the air is exactly why I avoided visiting my family in KS during wheat harvest. The city my dad lives in is literally surrounded by thousands of acres of wheat!
Crystal, I would not call you crazy at all. I would stay away during wheat harvest too!
Thanks so much for this information. I recently went with my mother and sister to Cracker Barrel. Once seated, I asked the waitress if biscuit flour was flying in the kitchen and she said yes. I drank a glass of tea and thankfully had no reaction. Of course my sister wasn’t happy that I wouldn’t try the greens or some other gluten free item. My motto is, when in doubt go without.
Lee, I agree with you and won’t eat a Cracker Barrel. Thanks for your comment.
Glad I’m not the only one who gets affected by airborne gluten. It makes me nauseated.
Many people think they can get away with ingesting small amounts of gluten as long as they don’t feel symptoms like intestinal, rash on hands or whatever, but the villi are still being damaged. Over time, this nutritional loss will likely affect their health. My husband is celiac and also allergic to wheat, rye, barley, and oats via blood test. I have a celiac grandmother, food allergic relatives, and am likely sensitive myself. Because of this, I have not baked with wheat flour in 6 years. I couldn’t imagine putting a cloud of that in the kitchen anymore than putting up a hive by the window of someone who was allergic to bees. Maybe drastic? Well, I might have thought so until recently when my hubby’s company moved him to the security office at a brewing company. The smell was very strong. During the tour around the facility, he began to feel dizzy, nauseated, panicky. I assume it was the barley? Anyway, he had to leave the site immediately and his company had to station him to work at a different site. So, yes, small amounts of gluten your body is intolerant to can harm you over time and small amounts you might be allergic to can definitely cause problems, even affect where you can work! Best wishes to all!
Today I made gluten free pumpkin bread. I sprayed the pans with Pam and then on a hunch checked Pam’s ingredients. Sure enough…wheat lecithin. No more Pam for me. The other night I baked for my kids and breathed in some wheat flour by mistake and my face got all rashy. Coincidence? Maybe, but I will watch out for that in the future!
I have a can of Pam original and it does not contain wheat. It has soy lecithin. I think the Pam Baking contains wheat.
Yes, It is Pam baking spray. Too bad DH got a 3 pack from Sam’s Club! I think I’ll just oil by hand from now on like my mom used to!
I mostly do it the old fashioned way, but I keep some Pam on hand. Sometimes it just works better.
I forgot to add that step! Thanks for telling me. Yes, you sprinkle them on top before baking.
Thanks for all the info and for making feel a little better. I have to leave the dinner table at restaurants when my family orders food with gluten because it makes me dizzy and I feel a heaviness behind my eyes. I’ve been gf for 3 month and dairy free for 3 years and I still don’t get used to them eating gluten around me. Any tips?
Analia, if you’re reacting to being around gluten rather than ingesting it, then you are probably having an allergic reaction. That should improve as you are gluten free for longer. It did for me. Now I don’t like being around the smell of bread and such, but it doesn’t give me a headache. It might be best to simply avoid those situations as much as possible for a few months. I know it’s difficult, but if you say that you can’t go to dinner with them, maybe they will reconsider ordering gluten filled food.
;imda so is the smell of gluten vapors not possible to cause a gluten reaction ? it seems likely that the smell reaction i have to bread aisles, pizza baking in our oven or my hubbys chicken teriyaki being eaten next to me in restaurant as well as the pasta water vapors is just and anxiety reaction and no possibility that inhaling vapors can cause damage>
Yesterday at my local mall I was shopping in a store located directly next to a pretzel shack for about a half hour. The whole place smelled strongly of pretzels (which is bad enough without being gluten intolerant)..and I had all my normal symptoms of a gluten reaction. So thanks for this article, I will definitely stay away from that place in the future!!
Oh no! I’m sorry you had a reaction but glad I could help explain it.
Thank you so much for this information. I was very recently diagnosed with the blistery gluten rash and have not been eating gluten for about two months. I am a professional cook though, and do all my own scratch baking. Oftentimes 12 loaves of bread at a time. My skin has been horrible and I never connected inhaled gluten to it until a couple of weeks ago. I feel like ridiculous for not thinking of it, I just wear gloves and get on with working. I am exploring other options now…
How long does a reaction last? My symptoms seem to be fatigue and depression and crying a lot. I baked bread on sunday for my husband who is the only one who eats whole wheat bread in our family of 6. The next day, my kids are having meltdowns, and I am tired and crying. Can’t seem to get much done. The day after that, the meltdowns continue with the kids and I stil get a minimal amount done. Is it seriously the gluten? Such a learning curve with figuring out allergies when I do not trust doctors for a real answer.
Do you stay away from oatmeal as well? Could be part of our problem too. I hope you still respond to this post!
Hi Drea. Unfortunately, gluten reactions can last days. I have felt the mental/emotional effects for up to a week at times. And I have read that gluten stays in your system for 6 weeks! I’m sorry you’re going through that. I would suggest that you not do any baking with wheat flour in your house because that probably was the cause of your problems. I do eat certified gluten-free oats, but not on a regular basis. If what you are eating is not certified, then yes, that could be causing problems. Also, some people cannot tolerate even the gluten free oats. Take a look at my Gluten Free Diet Information page. You can access it from the orange bar under my header. I hope that helps.
Hello! I am so excited I found this article I think people do not understand the severity of a gluten intolerance can be on a person. F or Some people it can be bad others not so bad. For me it can be very bad if my husband even makes or eats a sandwich by me I start coughing, I get itchy especially on my face. I think it even effects me emotionally and i feel so sick all the time I also get a choking sensation . Just recently I got married and I live here in a small country town in Oklahoma that is filled with WHEAT 🙁 I think it is even effecting me now because it is growing. For a lot of people it can be not believable and I can understand that. But when you have a severe allergy to something you want to not even live by what causes your body harm. They have been cutting cotton here in town, but I also think its the wheat growing around the area??? not sure . I first came here during the end of there wheat harvesting!!! had not idea my husband felt so bad because he thought i was just allergic to eating it not being around it.I was so sick 🙁 horrible time for me. Do not know if anyone is reading this article but I take comfort in knowing other people get so sick over the same thing as me wheat also makes my chest feel very weak and fatigue its hard to explain!! I also have other allergies that do not make it easier on me. please if any one has any advise please help!!!
Robin, I do not think your reactions are unusual, particularly if you have a wheat allergy rather than celiac disease. Many people with food allergies react to any type of contact with the food. You’re not crazy. If you are having reactions, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You need to take care of your body. If it was me, I would move if it was at all possible.
Thank you so much for responding back to me!!! I appreciate it so much 🙂 I do have a wheat allergy plus celiac disease. Another reason maybe why I am so sensitive to the wheat. My husband and I are planning to move, We need to stay until He gets a kidney transplant. Mean time during Harvest time we will be most likely going back to Illinois for a while. It is a difficult situation right now for both of us. There is a town 5 hours from here that we are going to next week to visit. Right now I have been having difficulty breathing and itchiness its hard because even to a lot of medications my body is sensitive to. Since the wheat is growing I am wondering if that can even be effecting me ? I think it is .
Unsure if I’m sensitive or celiac, still going through the diagnosis process. I’ve been gluten free for 9 months but the test calls for 6 weeks of ingesting poison. My DH is 6’1″ & I’m 4’11” which tends to pose a problem when he’s eaten a sandwich or other wheat items then wants a hug. He SAYS he understands but this type of behavior shows me that he doesn’t either a) understand, b) doesn’t care, c) is extremely selfish. Previously he worked out of town and his eating habits didn’t really affect me; now, he works nearby and is home nightly which is causing undo stress because he isn’t willing to compromise. How do I deal with this? He doesn’t believe that a crumb is enough to cause any issues; but, he sees the effects wheat has on me. I’m completely frustrated by the lack of respect.
Sharon, that’s a tough situation. Maybe it would help him to hear from other people that a crumb is enough. Try finding online articles (such as this one) or taking him to a gluten-free/celiac support group meeting in your area.
I’m relatively new to the celiac world, I was diagnosed in April of 2012, I am also a culinary student. My passion is cooking. Despite my diagnosis I am determined to become a GF Chef. In my program we do a rotation through various kitchens, one being bakery. I began the bakery portion this week only to find myself ill as can be, with rash everywhere due to inhaling gluten. The Chef’s at my school don’t seem to understand the severity and extent of what being celiac truly means. I wore gloves and a dust mask for the past two days and although it is slightly better than day one it is still terrible and just impossible. When I approached them about some type of resolution we could come up with they pretty much said I am screwed. I am now going to speak with the dean. I will be devastated if they aren’t willing to accommodate me. I have excelled in every other aspect of the course… Hopefully things work out.
That’s so difficult! I hope you are able to work something out.
My culinary class worked that way too! Now the newly gluten-intolerant I am going to go through the extra Baking and Pastry course offered. I am determined to go through this and become a better baker and chef and make safe and delicious food for people like me with multiple allergies.
Many people in the culinary world don’t consider allergens enough, I think. I once observed one of my fellow students using the same spoon to stir two different soups. And I had to ask my head chef, once, to change the sign on another, completely different, soup from “African Groundnut” to “African Peanut” because most people wouldn’t know what a “groundnut” was and might think it’s a different nut altogether and possibly safe for them when it wouldn’t be.
I have only been on gluten free 3 weeks. Starting to feel some better. Was just diagnosed celiac through antibodies in blood test and results from biopsies. I also have hypothyroidism. I was in the grocery store a few days ago and started feeling very strange. I looked behind me and someone had dropped a 5 lb. sack of wheat flour, spilling onto the floor. I left the area but did feel bad for a few days. I had no idea that flour just being in the air would affect me so. Thanks to everyone so much for all the information. I am so new to this and need a lot of help. I was overwhelmed at first but the web sites, FB pages, and downloaded several books to read on celiacs.
Oh my, that was an unfortunate accident in the grocery store. I avoid the bread aisle if I can because I don’t like smelling it. I never thought about possible flour in the baking aisle. I’m glad you were diagnosed and are starting to feel better, and I’m glad I can be of help. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
is this possible…I was at work the other day and due to the holidays our boss ordered the staff about ten pizzas for lunch ( of course I did not eat because of being celiac and they were not GF) alas the smell was divine it radiated thru the entire break room. That day at work I had an asthma attack..out of the blue for no reason couldnt understand why..now I have been home with the flu for three days..and I was thinking back to just a month ago when they once again had had several of the same pizzas in the back room and I had come down with an extremely sore throat just the day after…do you think there is a connection between my celiac and the pizzas being brought into the work place?
Yes, there could be a connection, but in that case I think it’s more of an allergic reaction (rather than celiac). If the pizzas are brought in cooked, then the flour (and gluten) wouldn’t be in the air. Just like my headaches, your body is probably reacting to something it knows is bad for it.
I get very ill around bakeries in grocery stores, people eating wheat food, washing dishes that were used for gluten, and am only so-so in restaurants that have ” gluten free” food.
My biggest problem though is working around people who eat at their desks or bring in bagels and donuts . I can control my home environment but have none over the workplace. What do you all do about your workplaces?
The longer I am GF the worse the reaction too. Starting to get gluten ataxia if I am accidentally poisoned. This sucks.
So sorry you are going through all of this. I am actually going through the same thing I’m getting gluten ataxia symtoms also. I work from home and have to avoid all places that have wheat. I got very sick today when I went to a few stores that had a bakery. I try to only invite people to my house so I don’t get glutened. It’s so hard about work places.
Wouldn’t there be gluten on the pizza boxes along with the cooked pizza if there are flour particles hanging around in the pizza establishment? What about the employees clothes and the carriers the pizzas come in. It’s difficult for those of us to work when being “poisoned” by a popular lunch item. Pizza is an easy and cheap “go-to” for companies to feed a large crowd. The air conditioning system in most establishments don’t use the allergen-free filters, this could be a costly expense and, for any reasonable business person, one they don’t want to incur. I’ve been a skeptic of the pizza establishments offering g.f. pizza…cross-contamination was my first thought. I’ve had to cut all rice, corn, dairy, soy, and gluten products from my diet.
I got sick from watching someone making a pizza dough… 🙁 I ingested particules of gluten just by breathing near the flour (well, 2 meters away). I have been told to wait about 5 hours for the particules to deposit itself somewhere before returning to the kitchen or to wear a mask. I’m highly sensitive. If my boyfriend eats gluten, i have to wait the next day for a kiss otherwise, I’m reacting.
I work at a pizza place. I wonder how that will affect my skin.
Hi, I would say that some people are sensitive enough to gluten in the air that they have a reaction, but it is uncommon. While I can’t be officially diagnosed because I have been off gluten for 3 1/2 years, I believe I have both Celiacs disease and issues with gluten ataxia. When I am in a room and someone starts eating something made from gluten, I have the onset of a headache (which is usually what makes me look up and realize that there is gluten in the room) and will have neurological symptoms that affect motor functions and cognitive functions. While it is much more mild than if I consumed it, it is a problem. Doctors have tried to tell me gluten isn’t able to be like a peanut allergy and my response is that they can tell me that all they want, but if I can’t smell it and am unaware of it when the symptoms begin, then it is not me making something up.
I’m dealing with the same problem. I have reactions when in my kitchen from neighbors cooking or heating foods containing wheat. The vapors are getting into my kitchen, probably either through the oven or hood over the oven. It has become a nightmare situation. The neurological symptoms are the worse. They feel MS-like. Pins and needles, pinching, stabbing sensations, off-kilter feeling, brain fog, system in a frenzy…etc. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist coming up to see if there is any way to calm down the immune response. Have you found any help or solution to this?
I am hoping someone can help answer my question. My son has a gluten allergy. We do a great job at home keeping things perfect for him. I recently started a weekend job waitressing at a pizzeria. I am nervous about bringing the gluten home to him. Is it worth the risk? I shower as soon as I get home, and I also wash my work clothing in a separate cycle. Is that enough or should I give up the job?
I work in a pork processing factory. I’m always sick regardless of a strict gluten free diet. Then I realized these pigs eat grain based feed. I am convinced breathing barn dust and hog fess is the cause of my health problems
I got diagnosed with celiac disease just under two years ago. I have now had a job in a bakery for about 3 months and I am becoming concerned about gluten in the air. What do you suggest? 🙂
I think the best thing would be to find a new job. Wearing a face mask might help in the mean time.
I know from personal experience that it can: not long after I stopped eating gluten containing food I made myself sick by using wheat flour in some baking for other people. I was amazed by how much flour got in the air, especially directly above the mixing bowl. Never again!
I have Celiac Disease and have a neurological and respiratory response to airborne gluten. My head scrambles and I have problems thinking or talking, my arms and legs become too heavy to move and I have balance and motor control issues, and then I start to have problems breathing. Either my chest becomes so heavy that I can’t bring in air or I start this weird perpetual coughing thing and can ‘t breathe. As soon as I remove myself from wherever it is that has gluten in the air, all my symptoms start to subside. So my reactions sound like anaphylaxis but the symptoms start to subside as soon I get outside into clean air. It severely limits where I can go and I have to be super careful everywhere I go because people who have just eaten a sandwich, for example, can knock me on my butt. So airborne gluten can be deadly to those with Celiac. It is no joke.
I am gluten intolerant and can’t tolerate any cross-contamination. I have my worst episodes of gluten ataxia in the grocery store, even with a mask on. I only eat food I have prepared at home because I can’t risk triggering the ataxia. It does make some people feel awkward but it is just how I have to live my life to protect myself. I had Barret’s esophagus which has totally cleared up based on the results of my last endoscopy due to being gluten free for 5 yrs. The GERD is no longer a problem and that is amazing because I had such a severe problem with it that none of the traditional meds for it helped me and my gastroenterologist was clueless as to what I should do to stop it. He never once suggested going off of gluten, I discovered that and tried it out of desperation. My IBS cleared up also after going gluten free. I am so glad that I somehow stumbled upon the information that lead me down this path. Thank you for your blog and all the information you share with all of us.
Have you had a diagnosis for the airborne gluten problem? I don’t have a reaction unless there’s heating of wheat involved or there’s steam from hot gluten-containing foods. I sometimes have ataxia as well as pins and needles pain, inflammation, palpitations, brain frenzy…etc. after exposure. I still have no diagnosis for this condition. Is it MCAS, CIRS or some yet to named condition? Have you found any relief from this other than removing yourself from the source? That’s not an option for me. I must live and work in the city. My condition has only worsened and I’m at my wit’s end. If my visit with an integrative doctor doesn’t produce any results, my next move is to ask for an immunosuppressant, as much as I hate the idea. I simply can’t live this way anymore.
Hi Shannon,
According to my knowledge, this airborne gluten problem is not any particular condition. Its like ingestion of gluten through nose, instead of mouth. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any solution from this, other than removing myself from the contaminated environment……..I recommend you to identify the environment where gluten can be present in air, like for me the contaminated area was my workplace. It was a restuarant and it was full of aurborne gluten. So, after withdrawing myself from that place I’m again feeling normal healthwise, but not financially………As you said you work in city, fortunately not all places in city are infected with gluten…….At last, I would say that talk to your doctor and find a way……..
Hi. Thank you for replying. Unfortunately, apartment buildings are a problem. The wheat cooking vapors/molecules travel from one unit to another, the same way that cigarette smoke travels from one apartment to another. I have a heavy duty air purifier and I’m still having symptoms. I’ve been to many, many doctors, a couple of whom were familiar, but had no solution. My next step is trying a hydrogen generator.
Does anyone have information about where celiacs with airborne symptoms can look for housing? I’m looking to rent the first or second floor of a freestanding house (no apartments or rowhomes) ,where the other tenants are gluten-free, preferably in NY, NJ or PA, but open to other locations. Any information or leads would be greatly appreciated!
What a coincidence. I’m sitting in a french restaurant with my daughter and the name begins with La Pain… (bread) and they serve all kinds of specialty breads. They offer a gluten free option of buckwheat bread. And I just remarked to her that I wonder how a person with celiac would do with all the wheat flour flying around. Then I opened my computer and saw this post. 🙂
What do you think about buckwheat flour?
My daughter doesn’t have the gene for celiac, but avoids wheat because she gets eczema. I’m not celiac, but as you know half my family is and I have a gluten free dedicated kitchen.
Excellent post, Linda. Good point about aerosols too. I’m off to share.
That’s funny! What a coincidence. Despite the name, buckwheat is gluten free. You can see from the plant taxonomy chart in this post that it is more closely related to rhubarb than to wheat, rye, or barley. http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/what-is-gluten/
Wow thanks so much for this article! I found out I had celiac disease a little over 4 years ago. I am a pastry chef and at the time I was working in a gf bakery. Now I work in a regular bakery that produces some “gf” items, but over the past few years my health has really declined… Especially in the past few months. I’ve had five or six colds, sinus infections, stomach bugs, kidney and liver issues, constant nausea, light headedness and constantly feel weak. I am 22 and eat extremely well so it’s really baffled me and my doctor. Now it all makes sense…
Mila, I’m glad I could help. I hope you’re able to change your work situation and get healthy!
I react to walking through the bread aisle in the market, my face will start to blow up. Several folks in my MCS have a similar issue. When I went to my GI doc initially he poo pooed the idea. When I was still eating products from the store, I had 9 cm Barrettes and needed my throat and pyloric sphincter dilated. I was full of polyps in my bowel. After a few years of avoidance including foods from the market that are spayed with aflotoxins I realize that the corn products- another group of foods often used in gluten free to replace wheat products- was causing many of my issues. Citric acid is made of mold grown on corn and either it or lactic acid is sprayed on even commercial products sold through third party’s instead of from the farmer, were causing my issues. I had to use one of those store scooters before. Now I’m walking. Yes, you can sure react to gluten in the air. In Never Net Against Occam by Dr Afrin, he estimates one in ten have mcad which means ultra sensitive. You have to know what to look for.
Is your improvement due to avoidance of citric acid, lactic acid and corn products? Are you still reacting when you walk down the bread aisle or to gluten cooking vapors? I’m wondering if dietary changes might lessen the airborne symptoms. Thanks for any information.
My Barrette’s is all but gone as well mo further dilation needed. Under one cm area of inflammation now .
I hold my breath in the flour aisle, and I do not go inside bakeries or restaurants if I can help it. I avoid areas with wheat fields during harvest season too. I do react from gluten in the air. It begins with neurological symptoms, and the gut symptoms come later (it is just milder than if I had eaten something contaminated).
I am currently upset because my neighbor’s house is going to be torn down and a donut shop is going to be built there. I have a huge vegetable garden, over 100 berry plants, apple and cherry trees, and my house is fully paid off. I don’t want to be forced to move, but I’m afraid I may be forced to if gluten flour is blowing into my yard (I also spend a lot of time out there with my dog).
I am celiac and didnt get diagnosed until five years ago and both my husband and two boys are having a VERY hard time still coming to terms with it. They literally tell me i have a fake disease and down play and scoff at everything celiac related like they think im making it up. they are all very angry that this changed our family..i went from cooking and eating gluten filled foods. to eating no gluten food of course, but also no more cooking of gluten foods other than the occasional making of pasta or sandwiches which creates a lot of anxiety in me but makes them temporarily content. I have incredible amounts of anxiety about havinga gluten household and the stress it literally ripping our family apart ..Im very anxious about all the crackers, pastas bread sauces, etc in our house in same kitchen i use even if i dont cook it. I am very sensitive to the smell of pizza baking and pasta boiling and it literally makes me sick. It drives my family nuts, they call me crazy as they are all insistent that I cant be CC be smelling or breathing in gluten via pasta water boiling, pizza baking in oven, or soy sauce being sauteed in pan, my husband insists that gluten molecules are too large to be airborne aside from literally breathing in flour particles. I have seen so many contradictions. some experts say you can get CC by smelling bread in a bakery aisle. pizza baking fumes from home oven and steam from boiling water. I succomb to cooking gluten things with a mask as well as using it when i clean up bread, crackers cereal etc crumbs or washing out pasta pot my fear of getting glutened is literally consuming my and again pretty much ruining my marriage, i am completely unsupported and non stop hear my older son in particular tell me i dont have celiac, its a fake disease and that im crazy its so hurtful and also embarrasing. as a 17 year old i would think my mom was nuts too if she was making me pasta or pizza wrapped up with a mask or towel around face. I am needing a final answer once and for all. and i hope to find it here.. is it impossible to breathe in crumbs or gluten vapors –or is my ill reaction to these things an anxiety reaction. stress creating stomach issues/heart palps or am i getting glutented without ingesting but jsut breathing in..I type this as im hiding upstairs in my bedroom bc of the smell of frozen pizza baking in the oven is making me feel so ill. please, looking for any advice
Hi Amy, I’m in a very similar situation. I have wheat and citrus allergies (no celiac, but the wheat in particular triggers chronic candida). And after my daughter was born my inhaling problem started. So I live like a hermit these days, avoiding all shops, houses etc. If I cook anything with wheat or citrus (including all tomato based sauces) for my daughter I get really sick, can barely walk, brain fog, can’t think properly etc. My husband and daughter are very supportive, but my family of origin aren’t. They think I’m making it all up for attention, so it’s really hard. They shame me all the time for it. I’ve been searching for 18 years for answers, and found nothing, only gotten worse.
I have neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms when exposed to wheat cooking vapors. Have you received a diagnosis for your condition? I suspect that maybe it’s MCAS. Mast cell activation syndrome, but I don’t yet have a diagnosis.
Hi everyone, I have had Celiac disease for over 10 years I was diagnosed through blood work, I am 21 years old and have a bunch of health problems that Celiac disease has caused. I have been unable to find a job until a week ago I got hired at Cracker Barrel, ( not thinking the gluten would be a problem).. Ever since orientation I have been having gastrointestinal problems. I am on a very strict gluten free diet, and my orientation was back near the kitchen and the whole time I was in there i couldn’t stop passing gas, I didn’t think much of it at the time until the second day I did it again. Now that I am out on the sales floor I thought all my problems would go away but they haven’t. Every time I am in there I am constantly (and silently) belching. which is getting embarrassing. I haven’t felt very good since I’ve started working there I think the only thing that’s keeping me going is being around people. My question is gluten being airborn the cause of it? Thank you! .
Gluten airborne and on surfaces is the likely cause. Every person that touches the biscuits to eat them will then leave gluten on every item they touch in the store, on the door handles, etc. if you put your fingers in your mouth afterntouching a gluten-free surface, then you are ingesting gluten. Celiacs are required to have zero gluten, whether you have reactions or not. You damage your small intestines with any gluten. It may take years of buildup for the damage to make you anemic, but it will happen. Find another job.
My last comment was autocorrected. It should have read “after touching a glutened surface,” not “afterntouching a gluten-free surface.”
I was diagnosed with celiac disease 6 years ago. I have know since then that wheat in the air can cause respiratory issues for me. Wheat was in my hairspray, dog shampoo, and the aerosol sprays I used for decorating cakes, among other places. I had to take a 3 hour trip to the city last weekend and ended up taking a route that had hundreds of miles of wheat fields. Of course it was harvest time…i am now paying the price. I have had nausea, diarreah and horrible mucus, a fever of 101, massive headache and overall feeling like I am poisoned. I will never take that route again. I normally only take “the flats” in the winter due to snow on the passes. I will be taking the pass in my 4 wheel drive from now on. This is a very real issue that celiacs should not overlook. Be safe celiacs.
Wow… It certainly is welcoming to read so many other people effected by the smell of gluten. It affects every aspect of your life and pretty much requires you to live a solitary existence.
Besides not being able to smell and eat gluten I’m starting to suspect that fruits and veggies at grocery store are being cross contaminated by airborne gluten. Has anyone else experience this type of cross contamination? I’m frantically trying to figure out how to grow my own veggies while living in Northern Ontario, Canada…
It is not the gluten in wheat its the herbicides in Roundup! Our grandparents didn’t have this problem before Monsanto came to town. Do your homework!!!!
I am gluten-sensitive and I follow my gluten-free diet strictly. I work in a restaurant, where gluten is present in air. Today, I was feeling some symptoms and surely I didn’t ate gluten. So, through your site, I found about gluten in the air and my question is there any particular mouth mask, which can protect me against gluten in the air, while working in the restaurant.
I think that masks sold at home improvement stores for keeping fine dust out would help. But I don’t know of any mask that has been tested for keeping gluten out.
Hi, today I tried that mask and felt less sick and bad. Gonna test that mask for more day and if things didn’t work well, I’ll not go to that restaurant again. Anyway your site really helped me, I didn’t even knew about airborne gluten and for weeks I was like something is wrong and I was looking in wrong places. But with this concept of airborne gluten everything is clear and why I am getting those symptoms………..this gluten is always two step ahead, no matter how much you strictly follow gluten free lifestyle…..atleast for me its like a war till death, there is no escape…..what a shitty life to live
Mani, Glad I could help. I hope things get easier for you as you adjust to the lifestyle.
There are a number of people here like me, suffering from neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms when exposed to gluten cooking/heating vapors. It’s a very frustrating, demoralizing and frightening way to try and live. I’m afraid I’m going to have to move, as the symptoms are worsening. Anyone with this condition, please feel free to e-mail me, as I have questions about how you have chosen a place to live that’s safe, how you’ve adapted, manage work, grocery shopping, getting around…etc. I live in the city and don’t know where I’m going to live that will be safe. It would also be a relief to talk to someone who is going through the same experience. This is so alienating.
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Gluten and wheat proteins go airborne not just when raw flour is present but when baked goods are handled, cut, toasted and scraped with a knife.
I share an apartment with a guy that loves to toast his bread in an electric popup toaster. If the toaster is dirty the toasted bread smell is extra strong, but more importantly, the air quality plummets each time (shown on an air quality meter). PM1, PM2.5, PM10 values can push above 150 (heavy particulate pollution) throughout the apartment just from the toaster.
Without fully ventilating the place with open windows or a big HEPA filter – these particulates (likely a mix of carbon and wheat protein) will stay in the air for a day or more, until they drift to a surface, float out the door or get inhaled.
If you have problems with airborne gluten or wheat – I highly recommend getting an indoor air quality meter, a HEPA air cleaner, and keep a particulate respirator mask nearby. With COVID you may already have a mask on so shopping might, strangely, get easier.
Hi David. Thank you for your comment. I have a HEPA filter in the apartment and I have worn masks. I find no relief. I remember someone commenting that they only found relief wearing a full body suit, which suggests that it’s also absorbed through the skin. Obviously, that’s no way to live. From what I’ve read, it seems like the people who have this airborne problem do best when living in a detached/freestanding house and living a self-sustained life, but still the question remains…why is it that such a small percentage of celiac/gluten intolerant people develop this degree of sensitivity?
Gluten avoidance stopped working for me so GP suggested a microbiome test. I went with Viome – which generates a list of foods to limit or avoid, and supplements.
Test results suggest that I avoid produce commonly infected with plant viruses that are triggering inflammation. For me that’s tomato products, green beans and banana. Several months of following this plan have really turned things around for me. Avoiding tomatoes is a pain but easier than gluten avoidance was.