Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) is co-sponsoring legislation that would require all large public venues in New York State that serve food to have epinephrine auto-injectors such as EpiPens available for emergency use, with staff trained in how to use them.

“Epinephrine auto-injectors are lifesaving medical equipment. New York State already mandates them in day care facilities, and having them on hand in arenas, concert halls, stadiums and similar places just seems like basic common sense,” said Assemblyman Colton. “New York already requires such venues to have Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) available in case of emergency. It’s only logical that those same venues should also keep EpiPens available in case someone on the premises goes into anaphylaxis, a dangerous condition which can cause death within 15 minutes.”

Epinephrine auto-injectors are used when someone suffering from an allergy has a severe, potentially life-threatening reaction; such reactions are often associated with allergies to foods such as shellfish and nuts. The auto-injectors work to lessen the body’s response to the allergen by relaxing muscles in the airways, stomach, intestines and bladder and by helping to reverse rapidly plummeting blood pressure. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Food allergies affect about 2 percent of adults and 4 to 8 percent of children in the United States. Each year in the U.S., it is estimated that anaphylaxis to food results in 30,000 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths.”

The prime sponsor of the legislation (S.1078A/A.2885A) in the Assembly is Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal; the prime sponsor in the state Senate is Senator Andrew Gounardes.