Published
Video length: 1 min
Pesticides: what danger for florists?
Pesticides: what danger for florists?
(france 2)
Pesticides could be dangerous for florists. A young daughter of a Loire florist has died from cancer. What are the risks? To talk about it, Viktor Frédéric, environment journalist at France Télévisions, is present on the 8 p.m. set, Wednesday October 9.
What are the rules regarding pesticides and florists? “There is what is called a maximum residue limit. It is a pesticide threshold, if it is exceeded, the products are prohibited for sale, but for flowers which are also treated with pesticides, this does not exist. There is no control.”explains Viktor Frédéric, journalist in the environment department. No state has asked to legislate on the subject, but it is believed that handling flowers can be dangerous.
A Belgian study reveals that more than a hundred pesticides were found on very popular flowers and at impressive levels: certain molecules were present at levels 1000 times higher than the limits authorized for fruits and vegetables. 70 different pesticides were found in the urine of the florists tested. It’s necessary “be careful when handling flowers”, recalls the journalist.