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Fresh flowers life our spirits and brighten our homes. They're a wonderful gift and a joy to receive. But...as beautiful and cheering as flowers can be, there's a dirty side to both the flowers and the workers who grown them, that isn't nearly so uplifting. While the impact of pesticide use in the $7.6 billion U.S. cut-flower industry is just as serious as it is in other forms of agriculture, the hazards that lurk inside flowers haven't received nearly as much attention.
Seventy percent of the flowers sold in the United States are imported. 59 percent come from Colombia and 15 percent from Ecuador. Chemicals are used to keep the flower buds fresh during their journey, as well as to grow the beautiful roses, carnations and other cut flowers we enjoy.
In Colombia, flower plantation workers near Bogota are exposed to 127 types of pesticides. Nearly two-thirds of the workers suffer from headaches, nausea, rashes, asthma and other pesticide-related ailments. Additionally, the flower farms have polluted and depleted Bogota's streams and groundwater. These flowers won't harm most recipients (though people with compromised immune systems might have a reaction) as much of the treatment is applied before and while the flowers are growing.
The story is the same for the European market. Additionally, flying 44 tons of flowers from southern Africa to western Europe uses 60 tons of jet fuel. Then there's the fuel for the trucks that drive the flowers from the airport to their destination. A vase with as few as ten imported flowers represent the use of over a half liter (quart) of oil!
Added to the pesticide use and the fuel consumed bringing the flowers to market is the nasty problem of invasive species such as moth eggs as fly larvae that arrive on the flowers and sometimes escape to wreak havoc on plants with no natural defense.
The biggest producer of flowers in the US is Hawaii. Second is California. California tracks its pesticide use; 800,000 pounds of pesticides are used annually in conventional flower production. Half of this is methyl bromide, a fumigant that not only is bad for the ground but it also depletes the ozone layer. It is also considered potentially carcinogenic as are several other fungicides used in flower production.
So what can you if you don't have a garden to grow your own? Buy fresh organic or pesticide free flowers at local farmers markets or stores that carry locally grown flowers. These flowers don't carry the high price of fuels to get them to market, are gentle on the environment, they bring a smile to your face and your purchase has supported local growers.
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