The story of a French ex-florist, whose 11-year-old daughter died of cancer in 2022 linked to her mother’s exposure to pesticides, has highlighted the possible risks of untreated flowers. A recent investigation by Swiss public television, RTS, appears to confirm the risks of pesticides used on imported flowers, some of which are banned in Switzerland. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Journalists from the RTS Mise au Point programme carried out an investigation in Switzerland and tested gloves worn by two Geneva florists that revealed over 20 chemical products, including six banned in Switzerland. The laboratory tests were supervised by Aurélie Berthet, a specialist in human toxicology at the University of Lausanne. She confirmed that so far no studies have been conducted on the long-term health risks that florists face. But the new lab results are worrying, she says. “Several of the substances found are irritating, which could lead to a skin reaction ...
