Flowers can be dangerous, they can even kill. A French florist sounded the alarm after the death of her 11-year-old daughter from leukemia. Justice established a causal link between the child’s death and the mother’s exposure to pesticides during pregnancy. Meeting with a Belgian florist to try to see things more clearly.
Every day, Fabian handles hundreds of flowers for hours. He has been a florist for ten years. Although he wears gloves when possible, he admits that this is not always the case: “It’s more pleasant to have direct contact with the product to feel the movement of the flowers.“
More pleasant, but also more dangerous. A Belgian study dating from 2019 found around forty harmful substances in high concentrations in the bodies of several florists.
“They are irritating, they are endocrine disruptors, products which promote certain cancers. Many substances are authorized in Europe, but some found on bouquets are now banned in the European Union.“, explains Bruno Schiffers, professor in the phytopharmacy laboratory at ULiège.
The problem: flowers are not always available in the next field. Depending on the seasons, they sometimes have to be imported from very far away and it is difficult to trace their origin at the time of purchase.
“Chrysanthemums generally originate from the Netherlands, they are truly a specialty. But when it comes to other flowers, especially exotic flowers, we don’t know where they come from. It’s not like meat“, adds Fabian. In France, the link is officially made between the profession of florist and the risk of cancer. Fabian remains calm, but intends to change his habits and promises to put on his pair of gloves a little more often.
flower florist pesticide health
World
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