Like most romantics, I love flowers. However, I have become aware of a horrible fact: it may not be safe to stop and smell the (cut) roses.
The United States is the largest market for cut flowers, but there aren’t enough domestic flower farms to keep up with the demand. Because of this, 60 percent of the flowers are supplied from foreign countries. The United States has extremely strict import standards, however, and an entire shipment/crop can be rejected if inspectors discover a single insect or a bit of fungus. This puts an enormous pressure on foreign companies to increase their pesticide use. Since pesticide use in the flower industry is not regulated by law, even flowers grown in the United States have high amounts of chemical pesticide residue.
According to the Environmental Working Group, roses from California, New Hampshire, Colorado, Canada and Colombia contained two probable human carcinogens, three Category I (the most hazardous) pesticides, and three neurotoxins (one of which was idoprone, which causes cancer in rats) at up to 50 times the amount allowed in food. Lori Ann Thrupp, of the World Resources Institute, said that flowers are not inspected for residues, so producers show relatively little concern.
Dr. Richard Wiles, vice president for research at the EWG, said, “The public … is buying roses from these greenhouses within 24 hours of the last spray, during a time when most workers normally wouldn’t be allowed to handle those same roses without protective equipment.” According to a study published by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Dutch floral workers are often exposed to 60 times the recognized “safe” level of these poisonous chemicals, often in an indoor situation, where residues and vapors may not dissipate. The pesticide Action Network North America stated that over two-thirds of Colombian floral workers suffer from nausea, impaired vision and asthma, all of which are side-effects associated with exposure to pesticides. The environment itself suffers from overuse of poisons. Researchers have seen some pesticides running undiluted into the ground and have recorded high levels in the natural water supply. The Netherlands, also known as the flower-capital of the world, has heavily contaminated soil and air in its flower-growing regions.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Society of American Florists both claim to be raising safety standards by developing educational materials for both workers and consumers in the form of pesticide-training films. America has not been informed enough. We hear our congressmen drone on and on about how this harms the environment or that hurts the oceans, but this affects each and every one of our daily lives on some scale. Think about how many flower arrangements you’ve received in the past few years–Valentine’s Days, Easters, corsages at dances, etc.–usually lead to contact with roses and other flowers, most of which were completely doused in poisonous chemicals.
The problem with pesticides lies in unrestricted markets. If countries like the United States were to set guidelines for flower residues, producers would have to lower their chemical use, thereby creating a safer world for both consumers and workers.
Until this happens, we need to follow a few simple guidelines. First, rinse flowers before bringing them into the home. Second, after visiting the florist shop or placing flowers in their vase, wash your hands thoroughly. Third, consider growing your own flowers. This would be especially feasible and helpful for those of you who love to keep fresh flowers on the table or in the bedroom. Another alternative would be to buy fresh, organically grown flowers from a flea market or a street market.
In a perfect world, we would all have time to tend our own gardens. I realize that few of us have the time to anymore. So for those of us that can not return to the glory days of gardening, I offer three suggestions: pay attention to where our flowers come from, follow some basic safety guidelines and call for pesticide guidelines from our government. If we do these things, then perhaps it will soon be safe again to stop and smell the roses, even if they aren’t home grown.
JanaZ Hatcher is a junior political science and psychology major.