Beware of Roses!

This was part of an article from Green at MSN.com. Basically the gist is: Some Ecuadorian and Colombian rose growers are using water and chemicals banned in the U.S.

The 200 million rose stems that arrive in the U.S. for Valentine's Day each year require tons of pesticides, and it’s estimated that some 20 percent of the chemicals used are illegal here. A 2007 study by the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) found that more than 66 percent of Ecuadorian and Colombian flower workers were plagued by work-related health problems -- including skin rashes, respiratory problems, and eye problems -- due to toxic pesticides and fungicides. ILRF also found that "flower workers experience higher-than-average rates of premature births, congenital malformations and miscarriages," and were subjected to 70- or 80-hour work weeks in high season.

And it gets even worse:

But the risks of pesticide use in floriculture are not confined to Latin America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S floriculture industry is one "of the heaviest users of pesticides in all of agriculture." Some of the highest-use pesticides in California’s floral industry, for example, include methyl bromide, a hazardous chemical that is also a top ozone-depleter; acephate, an organophosphate neurotoxin hazardous to humans and highly toxic to bees; and chlorothalonil, a "likely carcinogen." Methyl Bromide is being phased out elsewhere, but the floriculture industry has won repeated exemptions to the Montreal Protocol, the landmark treaty phasing out substances that deplete the ozone layer.

We need to stop using these chemicals and make the world a better place to live! (Thanks to Mr. S. for talking to the class about this.)