BANGKOK, 13 February 2015 – Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCBP) has monitored the flowers on sale during Valentine’s Day for formalin contamination and found no contamination in the inspected flowers so far, said a government official.
The OCBP has inspected the flowers on sale during Valentine’s Day at the Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad). The inspection team was led by the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office M.L. Panadda Diskul and the OCBP Secretary-General Umpon Wongsiri.
The Prime Minister’s Office Minister revealed the findings had shown that there were no contamination found in the samples. This satisfactory result is expected to boost the confidence of consumers buying flowers at the fair.
He mentioned that the OCBP had already conducted inspections at the flower manufacturing sites prior to this inspection at the flower fair to ensure that the products were not contaminated.
Meanwhile, the OCBP Secretary-General has said that the OCPB’s efforts were supported by the Department of Health, which has provided test kits that its fluids will change colour when it has come in contact with samples that have been contaminated.
All of the flowers that were tested have not been contaminated as the test fluids did not change colour during the inspection.
In addition to contamination checks, the OCBP is now working with the Department of Internal Trade to regulate the retail price during the festival.
Formalin is a highly abrasive substance that is harmful to the vascular system. It can cause nose irritation, coughs, sore throat, inflammation in the lungs, eyes irritation, pulmonary congestion, breathing difficulty, or even death. It can also cause rashes, burns, and prolonged exposure can be a cause for cancer.
