...[B]y the time...[roses] reach your Valentine, they will have been sprayed, rinsed and dipped in a battery of potentially lethal chemicals. Most of the toxic assault takes place in...Colombia... [The Colombian horticulture industry's] economic gains come at a cost to workers' health and Colombia's environment, according to consumer advocates... Colombia's flower exporters association responded by launching Florverde, which has certified 86 of its 200 members for taking steps to improve worker safety and welfare... Nevertheless, 36 percent of the toxic chemicals applied by Florverde farms in 2005 were listed as extremely or highly toxic by the World Health Organization, [Florverde director Juan Carlos] Isaza acknowledged... Carmen Orjuela began suffering dizzy spells and repeated falls in 1997, while working at a flower farm outside Bogota...[S]he said her employer forced workers to enter greenhouses only a half-hour after they had been fumigated... Orjuela's employer, Flores de la Sabana, denied ever disregarding manufacturer-recommended re-entry times, but a 2005 toxicology study from Colombia's National University...confirmed that Orjuela's illness was "directly related to an important exposure to potentially toxic chemical substances." [also refers to accident at Flores Aposentos; Dole; green flower initiatives involving Whole Foods Market, Organic Bouquet.com]