Shine OnShould EpiPens be mandatory in restaurants?
Hamilton, Ont., is taking the lead on becoming the first Canadian city to stock EpiPens in its restaurants.
On Wednesday, Hamilton city council approved a year-long pilot project in conjunction with McMaster University and Anaphylaxis Canada that will place EpiPens at a local food court or nationally recognized food chain for use in emergency. The EpiPens will be distributed to the food establishment of choice in March of this year.
If the pilot project is successful, it may expand to include every eating establishment in the city.
While some question the legal implications of strangers administering EpiPens, experts say that people are covered in the event that something goes wrong by the province's Good Samaritan Act.
“The law encourages rescue in that situation by protecting the rescuer,” Bernard Dickens, a retired professor of health law and policy at the University of Toronto, tells CBC. “The EpiPen seems to fall into the same place."
Heather McLeod-Kilmurray, an associate law professor at the University of Ottawa, concurs that Ontario law protects most stranger in these cases.
However, she notes there are a few grey areas within Ontario's Good Samaritan Act.
“If it’s a doctor or a paramedic who gives [an EpiPen] to them, that could muddy things,” McLeod-Kilmurray says, adding that a person who is medically trained may be expected to provide error-free first aid.
Also, if a sick person specifically says they do not want first aid, and someone injects them with an EpiPen regardless, then the rescuer could be held liable if the person was injured or died.
EpiPens administer the hormone epinephrine, which prevents anaphylaxis caused by allergic reactions by elevating the body's blood pressure and increasing heart rate. Since allergic reactions commonly occur after eating food, such as shellfish or peanuts, having EpiPens in restaurants is key for preventing fatalities.
While an injection is low-risk, EpiPen manufacturers say it can be harmful for those with heart disease or if administered in large doses. This risk can be mitigated by proper training, says Laurie Harada, the executive director of Anaphylaxis Canada.
“It’s really important to understand the signs and symptoms,” she tells CBC.
The decision to go ahead with the pilot project comes after a 12-year-old girl died in a Burlington, Ont., food court last year as a result of a food allergy.
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