Growing tomatoes causes asthma?

[Crundy]

A colleague is sharing half his parents greenhouse this year, but has been told he's not allowed to grow tomatoes because it's "bad for the asthma (read it somewhere)".

Aside from a fungi infested crop producing spores I can't think of any reason why tomatoes could possibly excasserbate asthma symptoms. Anyone have any ideas?

[zazen999]

What????

Who said that and where did they read it?

They might think that the pollen might set it off, but you get just as much walking down a tree lined road - more in fact as the wind will blow it around.

[Hilary B]

Sounds like total tripe to me. I used to get occasional asthma attacks, my allergy was to ordinary dust (makes a grand excuse for not doing housework<g>) but rather more to do with stress, which is why I no longer get the problem (I simply don't DO stress any more!). Anyhow, having grown tomatoes (started in the house) for the last 4 or 5 years, they have never caused ME any asthma problems!

[LizyDrippin]

It could be that the person involved asthma is triggered specifically by tomatoes

My dad has to avoid certain things because of his asthma, stuff that you would never think had anything to do with it but for him it does.

[Crundy]

It could be that the person involved asthma is triggered specifically by tomatoes

No, she said she read it somewhere. No doubt won't be able to cite a reference. This is how superstitions and other woo gets started!

[LizyDrippin]

No, she said she read it somewhere. No doubt won't be able to cite a reference. This is how superstitions and other woo gets started!

If you put tomatoes and asthma into google several sites come up, some saying that research says tomatoes and other "fruity veg" can be good for it and other sites which say tomatoes can be a trigger for some people

so she may well have read it somewhere, like most things one mans meat is anothers poison

[lynda66]

with most of the triggers from food it's cos you eat it not cos you grow it, and if susceptible to pollen then most pollens will set you off, apparently i'm susceptible to late flowering trees .... if the people concerned don't have asthma then theres no problem lol ... if they do, then only trying it out will work out if they cause a problem or not... ps i have asthma and grow tomatoes

[Pootle]

The only thing I can think of is that fine green powdery stuff that you notice if you pick a LOT of tomatoes (Grandpa used to grow them commercially so that's the scale I'm talking about!) which might feasibly irritate some asthma sufferers, but I would have thought that it would be a very small risk which could be reduced even further by keeping the greenhouse damped down properly.

I should think that the benefits of tomatoes and the exercise from growing them would be more beneficial anyway...

[FionaH]

hmmmm MrH get asthma, give him a great excuse not to go near the greenhouse

[piskieinboots]

I was born asthmatic, I have been around growing toms all my life due to my Pa being a veg grower, I have never had any problems at all

I did find this link, but question its validity

[shirlthegirl43]

Madmax is asthmatic and has quite a few allergies (horses, hay, me, housedust) but has never mentioned a problem while helping me with the tomato plants

[Hilary B]

I was born asthmatic, I have been around growing toms all my life due to my Pa being a veg grower, I have never had any problems at all

I did find this link, but question its validity

I doubt there is a single foodstuff you could name that there are no people allergic to it! The person who posted the above would seem to be an allergy specialist, and the problem with specialists is that they tend to find what they are looking for.......

[di]

I doubt there is a single foodstuff you could name that there are no people allergic to it! The person who posted the above would seem to be an allergy specialist, and the problem with specialists is that they tend to find what they are looking for.......

My sister thought how lucky she was to have a toddler who's favourite food was spinach...turned out it triggered her asthma!!!(she grew out of it)...but you're right.Any food can probably act as a trigger to someone!I'd grow the toms & only stop if they seemed to have a definite negative effect.

[bluemoon]

I have an allergy to tomato plants, but it's a skin allergy triggered by the hairy leaves and stems. I still grow them, but OH has to water and harvest once they get larger than say 18 inches when it becomes impossible to deal with them without coming into contact with the hairy bits. I can therefore understand someone with eczema being told to avoid them and I believe the two conditions are linked. Tomato plants do give off a strong smell though that I can sort of understand it perhaps triggering an attack in someone suseptible. My youngest son was asthmatic as a child and one of the worst offenders for triggering an attack was paint fumes.

[piskieinboots]

my only serious allergy is walnuts - what's that all about then so boring, but at least it is easily avoided.

It manifests in the form of swollen breathing tubes, swollen tongue etc etc - not pleasant at all.

As a child, I'm told I was allergy to tomatoes (brought forth a rash, not asthma), strawberries and many other things - persistance has paid off and I can now happily scoff my way through a strawberry bed