The boy squirms back and forth in his seat, trying not to make contact with the peanut butter sandwich dangled in front of his face by a friend, a classmate, a bully. This scene and others like it play out at schools across the country.

Christian Kloser, 18, has been that boy.

"The majority of bullying [of kids with food allergies] is just people not understanding what it is," says Kloser, a freshman at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. "They'll joke around, and they don't realize that any contact can be potentially fatal. They think they're being funny."

But for severely allergic people like Kloser, even indirect contact with a food allergen can lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis — a severe allergic reaction during which tightness in the throat or chest, tongue swelling, or difficulty breathing can occur. Blood pressure drops dramatically, which can lead to shock, unconsciousness and death.

In a survey of 353 food-allergic kids and teens conducted by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), 79 percent reported bullying, teasing, or harassment related to their food allergies. Of those bullied, 57 percent described events in which someone touched them with their allergen, waved it in front of them, or threw it at them. For some children, merely touching or getting a good whiff of an allergen might cause a reaction.

Reports of such bullying have increased awareness among the allergist community, says Stanley Fineman, MD, president of the ACAAI and a practicing allergist in Atlanta. "I don't think it was on our radar screen until recently."

Dr. Fineman now asks kids, adolescents in particular, if they've been bullied or harassed by someone about their food allergies. He worries that bullying will create peer pressure for food-allergic kids to eat things they shouldn't. "Unfortunately sometimes in the adolescents, we see some increases in risk-taking behavior," he says. "It can lead to terrible consequences." 

Kloser, who says athletics helped him fit in at school, has dealt with food allergies and asthma all his life. He's outgrown his aversion to dairy, wheat, and eggs but remains allergic to peanuts and other nuts. His advice for kids who, like him, might be taunted with peanut butter sandwiches or another food they can't eat is to stay calm. Freaking out, he says, will only entice bullies.

"I would suggest being open, and explaining the severity," Kloser says. "[Allergens] can kill you like anything can kill anyone. It's not something you joke about."