Do you like green plants or flowering plants? Gardening is your favorite hobby? Please note that from 1er in july 2021, sellers of ornamental plants are required, before purchase, to inform their customers about the potential dangers of certain plants. The information covers the possible health risks (allergy, skin reaction, poisoning) of the plants, how to protect against them and what to do in case of exposure to risk.
Obligation to provide information on plants at risk
Allergies or poisoning if swallowed: Some plants may pose health risks.
Distributors or sellers must display the following information in a clearly visible and legible manner on the accompanying document (label, placard, description) of the plants likely to present a health risk:
health risks: toxic if swallowed; respiratory allergy to pollen; abnormal skin reaction; eye damage...
ways to prevent it: away from children; avoid exposure of allergic persons; avoid contact with the skin....
if swallowed, call a poison control center on 15 or 112; rinse exposed areas with water and wash clothing that has been in contact; if an abnormal skin reaction occurs, consult a poison control center or a doctor...
This information will have to be provided before the purchase, whether it is a retail sale, a distance sale, a provision of services or a public purchase. Landscapers must inform their customers at the time of the quote.
In the annex to the order, there is a list of 58 species likely to harm human health, classified into four categories:
species which may be toxic if ingested, such as the datura stramoine, the oleander and the If;
species whose pollen can cause respiratory allergy, including hazelnut, hornbeam, olive and white and pubescent birch;
species that can cause skin reactions, such as alocasia
Elephant's ear
and the philodendron;
species that can cause an abnormal skin reaction when they come into contact with the skin and are exposed to the sun (phytophotodermatosis), such as true angelica and wood angelica.
FYI
This obligation to provide information is specified in an order of 4 September 2020 published in the Official Journal September 12, 2020. The order came into force on 1er July 2021.
New website plantes-risques.info
In order to inform the general public of the risks in case of ingestion, contact or respiratory allergy associated with these plants present in the natural environment or in private homes, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, in association with Fredon France, launched the 1er july 2021 the site plantes-risque.info. This site allows you to perform a search by name or a visual search of the plant. It also provides information on how to protect yourself against risks, the correct reflexes to have in case of symptoms and gives indications on the presence of the plant in the natural environment.
FYI
In case of symptoms after ingestion of a toxic plant, it is recommended to contact the nearest poison control center on 15 or 112. It is also advisable to keep the label or a photograph of the plant to facilitate its identification.
