Toxic Pesticides in Cut Flowers – Don’t Smell the Flowers, David Suzuki (1990 Laureate)

Don't smell the flowers

Whether they're given to us by the boy next door or are grown in our gardens, everyone loves flowers. But are those tulips, foxgloves, and roses killing you?

They just might be.

The majority of cut flowers you’ll find at your local florist are grown in developing countries, where growers frequently use pesticides that may be banned in other countries. Heavy use of pesticides get on worker’s clothes, in their skin and lungs, and are carried to their homes. Pesticides also contaminate the soil and seep into water supplies. And those same pesticide-laden flowers end up in the vase on your dining table.

But these harmful chemicals aren’t restricted to developing nations.

The pesticides that your neighbors use to kill insects and weeds in their yards also work a little too well. These toxic chemicals have both short-term and long-term health effects. Pesticide exposure is associated with a frightening list of health effects, such as increased risks of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects and organ damage.

But you can protect the health of you, your family, and your neighbors from these poisons. Read on and find out how.

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Kids and pesticides don't mix

In many Canadian homes, toxic pesticides pose an unnecessary risk to the most vulnerable population – children and pets. Tykes can’t read those ubiquitous warning labels that tell the rest of us that drinking 2,4-
D weed control is poisonous.

Acute pesticide poisoning refers to the inhalation, eating, drinking or direct contact of a toxic pesticide. The immediate exposure can cause a world of hurt – from skin rashes and headaches, to vomiting, paralysis and cardiac arrhythmias.

More than 6,000 cases of pesticide poisonings are reported in Canada each year, and nearly half involve children under age six. Picture it: 50 bus loads of young pre-schoolers sick from pesticides. It’s real. It’s unfortunate. It’s also preventable.

Learn more:
  • We recently released a report on acute pesticide poisonings in Canada: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/health/food/poisoning.asp
  • Keep the number for your local poison information centre near the phone. For a list of poison control centers: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7584

Put your garden in rehab

When our neighbors use insecticides and fertilizers, it doesn’t take long before those chemicals find their way into our bodies. Pesticides easily travel from garden shrubs and flower beds to grass, soil, groundwater, and eventually our drinking water supplies.

You can start protecting yourself from pesticides right now:
  • Nature-friendly insecticidal soaps and alternative gardening techniques can replace toxic chemical sprays. Check your local gardening supply store for non-toxic alternatives.
  • Compost and fertilize garden beds with natural waste materials. (It’s cheaper than using that imported bat guano, too!)
  • Wash and peel fruits and vegetables with a mild, natural detergent to remove pesticide residues.
  • Grow native plants to reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
  • When grocery shopping, look for produce labeled “100% certified organic” which means the fruits and vegetables don’t contain pesticides.
  • Avoid purchasing pesticides. Approximately 1,000 commercial pesticide products for sale in Canada are banned in other nations because of health and environmental concerns. Despite this, we possess a significant amount of power as a consumer. By not buying cosmetic pesticides, we’re sending a message to the manufacturers and to government that we want safer products on our shelves.
  • Buy local, organic food and flowers grown without dangerous pesticides when possible.

Learn more:
  • For more ways to reduce the risks of pesticide poisonings, visit: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/SWAG/10_Steps_to_reduce_pesticide_poisoning.pdf
  • Stay away from these! Downloadable poster of harmful pesticide products available in Canada: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/NC/DSFPoster_DirtyDozen.pdf

Get out of town! Banning pesticides in your community

Pesticides in residential communities are primarily used to beautify gardens. (They’re the botox and false eyelashes of the gardening world.) These chemicals are also completely unnecessary.

The easiest way to prevent pesticides from leaching into the environment is to simply ban them. Many communities are doing just that. More than 150 Canadian municipalities, as well as the province of Quebec, have passed laws banning the use of pesticides for cosmetic, non-essential purposes.

Your city or town can join the list. Find out if your community has taken steps to ban cosmetic pesticides:
http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/
Or click below to see who is already doing it:
http://www.flora.org/healthyottawa/BylawList.pdf

Learn more:
  • The Sierra Club have developed toolkit to help communities ban pesticides: http://www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic/programs/healthycommunities/pesticides/index.htm
  • The David Suzuki Foundation has compared Canada’s pesticide regulations to those of other nations. The news isn’t good for our home and native land: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/health/food/