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Teacher forced out by oil seed rape
Last updated at 23:52pm on 13.05.07A teacher was forced to move into a hotel 45 miles from home when he suffered a severe allergic reaction to the oil seed rape fields surrounding his house.
Peter Hallam had never suffered hayfever before but as soon as fields of oil seed rape planted near his home burst into bloom he had problems breathing and his eyes grew painfully swollen.
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Peter Hallam was forced to move into a hotel 45 miles from home when he suffered a severe allergic reaction to the oil seed rape fields surrounding his house
The 60-year-old teacher packed his bags on doctor's orders and spent £700 to stay in a city hotel to escape the pungent yellow fields.
He called for research to be carried out on the increasingly popular crop to discover what potential side affects it has.
Mr Hallam, a part time teacher at St Joseph's In the Park prep school in Hertingfordbury, Herts, said: "We live in the middle of nowhere, and we are surrounded by fields of oil seed rape.
"I became very allergic to it, my eyes swelled up.
"I had difficulty breathing, I was unable to see because my eyes were bunged up and they became terribly irritated. I wanted to scratch them all the time."
Mr Hallam, who lives in a barn conversion in Thundridge, near Ware in Hertfordshire, with his partner Jennifer King, 59, suffered mild hayfever symptoms when the field near his home were first planted with oil seed rape two years ago.
Last year when a different crop was grown he suffered no problems but when oil seed rape was planted again this year he was forced to take drastic action.
He said: "It seems to be a certain stage in the growth when the fields turn yellow.
"I think this year has been particularly bad because of the temperature, it's been dry so the pollen has been in the air.
"I went to the doctor for the third time and the doctor said 'I can't do anything more for you, you'll just have to go away to the coast or to a city'."
The couple said their cars were covered with the bright yellow pollen and despite keeping their doors and windows shut Mr Hallam's symptoms worsened.
Dosed up on anti-histamines and using an inhaler to ease his breathing Mr Hallam had to abandon work and was driven 45-miles to Cambridge where he stayed in hotel alone for five days.
He said: "It was the last resort. I had to stop work and go away. It was fairly drastic. It took at least 24 hours for it to settle down to a reasonable level.
"Jennifer had to go home to look after the dog so I was on my own.
"It was miserable. I didn't feel right. I felt like one eye was looking one way and the other was looking the other.
"I was holed up for five days. It wasn't a particularly nice experience and was quite expensive too."
Oil seed rape is the third biggest arable crop in the UK and has rapidly grown in popularity because it can be used for cattle feed, cooking oils, lubricants and more recently in bio diesel.
The farming industry has disputed any links between oil seed rape and hayfever but Mr Hallam believes the problem is widespread.
He said: "I'm sure I don't suffer alone. I went to a Tesco to get some eye drops but they had run out, they were saying people were complaining about the oil seed rape.
"The doctor couldn't know for sure what was causing it but I'm certain. There's nothing else going on round here. I was absolutely fine last year when it wasn't growing.
"I think the general public should be made aware of the danger of these oil seed rape, I know they use it for bio diesel but they need to find out more about the problems it is causing."
Ms King, a retired head teacher, added: "It raises the question, is this happening across the land? A lot of people we have spoken to have said the oil seed rape is affecting them.
"I do think there are potentially hundreds of people suffering because of oil seed rape.
"I know it has terrific properties and is a great money spinner perhaps that why we are seeing so much more of it.
"There needs to be a study on how it affects people's health. We are surrounded by it here, it is all around us and there is nothing we can do to escape it.
"Had we have known he would be affected like this we probably wouldn't have chosen to live here but we cannot move now, it's not easy to move now."
Maureen Jenkins, allergy consultant for Allergy UK, said studies into how oilseed rape crops affect people have proved inconclusive but problems could become more widespread as the crop becomes more popular.
She said: Ms Jenkins said: "Until the problem is quite widespread and a lot of people complaint we won't get funding to do any research."
She added: "This chap is most unfortunate that he's allergic to this and that it's had such a profound affect on him. I feel very sorry for him.
"There are a few people who are truly allergic to it like in this case.
"It affects those who have sensitive airways. It's more likely to affect people with hayfever and asthma because their airways are inflamed.
"Where I live in the south (of England) we have got lots of oil seed rape fields, it seems to be becoming more popular."
"Because of the weather this year lots of people have been driving around with their windows open.
"I get very mild hayfever and I was affected. I had a blocked up nose and was feeling a bit snuffly but it went very quickly.
"When you are affected the symptoms go away very quickly, normally within five or 10 minutes."
Anyone affected by hayfever or allergies can contact the Allergy UK helpline on 01322 619898.
Reader views (16)
We moved out to Madeira nearly 3 years ago due mainly to my husband's bad reactions every spring/summer in England to the oilseed rape crop (hayfever, sometimes asthma symptoms). Like others above, I cannot understand why no full-scale study has been undertaken. Come on, someone, (BMA? Please?) We would be only too happy to help with anyone who starts up a petition or major campaign of any sort.
- Jaquine Dearden, Funchal, Madeira
My husband has previously had a heart attack bleed and then a stroke.
We moved here for him to recuperate and for me to have a bit of resprite.
We came with three ponies four dogs three cats , we have lost three dogs
one cat and my husband is booked in for an angiogram because he is
having breathing problems which we initally put down to his heart getting
progressivly worse. Six weeks ago our old pony collapsed in the field we
called the vet thinking it was colic but it was respiratory and very bad and
due to the polen count he came out three times and did say he would have to put him down but would give untill the evening and thank god this little pony is still here the other pony is struggling as well and they are
both on expensive medication. I have never had any respiratory problems
at all but a couple of weeks ago I had a chokeing attack which was awfull
but I thought a one off and then last week I had another really bad attack
my throat swelled up and I could'nt breath I've been to hospital and my
GP and have been told I have an allergy to rapeseed which unfortunatley
we are surrouned by! Our Landlords are treating it as a joke and dont
want to know! I think its time something was done about this its just not acceptable just for them to make money from this I'm sure if any of
them knew what it was like to be strangled on a regular basis and the fear that goes with it, something would be done.
- Madeleine Mcnally, Great Brington Northamptonshire
For the past three or four years I have suffered twice a year from unbearably itchy runny uncomfortable swollen eyes caused by rape seed which is grown in abundance in Kent. Where I live in Chelsfield is a mass of yellow fields. They look beautiful but it makes my life a living hell for months on end. I was beginning to think I was alone in suffering this but I began working for an ophthalmologist and it has become very apparent that an increasing number of people are affected very badly by allergies, probably a large number of which could be attributed to rape seed. I am astounded that no research is being done. I phone Allergy UK and they were less than useless. When I consider the amount of money poured into the chairty it angers me that they are complacent in respect to those they are supposed to support. I am told that rape seed is banned in America. I'm not sure this is a fact but if so I can completely understand the reasoning. Why aren't GPs doing more to highlight the problem? Short of moving to the coast, it seems there is little I can do. As a keen writer, perhaps I will start to campaign.
- Christine Grace, Orpington, Kent
Definitely the best teacher I ever had. If I close my eyes I can still see drawings of pyramidal peaks and u-shaped valleys.
- Simon, Brookman's Park
Every year I get more affected with the rape seed.
It affects my eyes, nose, my breathing,it makes me feel realy iil a bit like the flue.
- C Laird, banff aberdeenshire north east scotland
maybe the best teacher i ever had 
- Mark Economides, london uk
My place of work is surrounded by farmland in Bedfordshire. Every year the development of hayfever symptoms coincides with the blooming of the oilseed rape. Each year, more fields have been turned over to growing this crop and consequently my hayfever symptoms have worsened. When the crop is harvested, the severity of the symptoms wanes to manageable levels. Before I started work in this area, I did not suffer from hayfever. Each day, as I drive to work I hope for the relief brought by the combine harvesters. When the housing market improves, I intend to live by the sea or up on some rugged moor!
- Maxine, Milton Keynes
At last this problem has hit the news. When the field up the road from us is planted with oil seed rape (every three years) I have to not go into the garden until the crop is over, missing part of the spring/summer. I couldn't believe that no-one else had this problem - it is also bad when we drive past fields in the car, especially now that the crop is everywhere. When the crops first appeared I was very distressed and wrote to a government health department and anyone I could think of, but have become resigned to protecting myself against it.
- Louise Sneyd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Uk
I have had asthma and allergic rhinitis for many years, but it has been controlled. Recently in March/April I begin to get itchy eyes and a cough. I always forget that we live surrounded by rape fields here so it isn`t a conscious reaction. It wasn`t until someone said to me yesterday after I had been sneezing and coughing for some days and assumed I had a cold, "The rape crop is flowering. Perhaps it`s that." My partner, who does not suffer from allergies as a rule, recently moved here. He developed a dry cough at this time last year and now the cough is back again. Some independent research should be undertaken.
- Wendy Blair, Oulton Broad, Suffolk,England
I am sure oil seed rape is a problem to me. I started working in Uxbridge around 10 years ago and each year hayfever symptoms have worsened. I never had hayfever until I worked in Uxbridge ( I had always worked locally and in London) and I am convinced it must be because we are so close to fields in Buckinghamshire where oil seed rape is grown as I have never had any allergic reaction to pollen before.
In April we flew back in from holiday to Heathrow and from the aircraft there were fields and fields of yellow crop which I presumed was oil seed rape.
- Carol Tappin, Hillingdon, Middlesex
Pollen is only produced for 4-5 days, winter and spring sown rape flower during the same month as each other - at best there will be 10 days of pollen production - not February to May. And I can't believe that Mrs Kemp has never bought fish and chips from a chip shop, used vegetable oil in cooking, manages to buy her entire shopping without plastic packaging and doesn't use petrol or diesel in private or public transport! Rape Oil is extremely versatile and is almost everyday product.
- Jo, Tendring, Essex
It has been a relief to read that other people strongly believe they are affected by rape seed. I was never a hayfever sufferer until they began to grow this in fields nearby. Now it seems as if every other field is yellow and I have started to dread the summer because I know I am going to feel less than well through most of it. Itchy and tired eyes, generally feeling as if I have a cold. This is made worse when they grow 2 crops a year. It is disconcerting when you read that no links have been proven between people's bad health and these fields, I would love to hear that proper research was taking place, as I believe that a lot of people are affected by it. I also wonder how we ever managed without it, wheat fields are rare in comparison, at least in my area. I certainly don't knowingly buy any products with it in.
- Mrs Loraine Kemp, Eversholt, Beds, England
I too am suffering the watery itchy eyes, eye lids very dry and scaly. It is just since the flowers have come out in the oil seed rape. I have never had this before. The fields are covered in it where I live.
- Evelyn Davidson, Perth, Scotland
I have just been discharged from Hull Royal Infirmary following renal failure which is attributed to a severe allergic reaction to a herbal substance. Having 3 weeks of dialysis is not fun. Oil seed rape is being investigated as the possible cause, I to have had asthma type symptoms last year and the time was Feb to May. As you now have winter sown as well as Spring sown rape the flowering period is Feb to June. Our village is surrounded by it. I go for further tests next week and will advise the outcome, I am sure rape will be the culprit. I am currently on lots of steroids which are helping.
- Fran Ross, Lincolnshire
Mr Hallam is quoting as saying: "I went to the doctor for the third time and the doctor said 'I can't do anything more for you, you'll just have to go away to the coast or to a city'."
If the doctor was his GP, surely he could have referred Mr Hallam to a consultant? It's hard to believe that there's no effective drug treatment for Mr Hallam's allergy.
- Richard Hancock, Bracknell, England
I also suffer a severe allergic reaction to the pollen on fields of rape. I moved here 4 years ago and this year for the first time a field opposite the cottage was planted with rape. I suffered the most following the harvesting when ploughing started.
- T J Franklin, Wales
