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A recent regulatory appeal from a dozen public health and agricultural labor organizations is demanding the EPA to stop authorizing the spraying of antibiotics on edible plants across the US, citing superbug development and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Sector Applies Large Quantities of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The agricultural sector sprays about substantial volumes of antibiotic and antifungal pesticides on American plants annually, with a number of these chemicals banned in other nations.

“Annually US citizens are at increased risk from toxic bacteria and diseases because medical antibiotics are applied on produce,” stated an environmental health director.

Antibiotic Resistance Creates Significant Public Health Threats

The overuse of antimicrobial drugs, which are essential for combating human disease, as agricultural chemicals on crops endangers population health because it can result in antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, overuse of antifungal agent treatments can lead to mycoses that are harder to treat with existing medical drugs.

• Drug-resistant diseases impact about 2.8 million people and result in about 35,000 deaths annually.
• Regulatory bodies have associated “medically important antibiotics” approved for crop application to antibiotic resistance, increased risk of staph infections and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Health Consequences

Furthermore, consuming chemical remnants on food can disturb the digestive system and increase the risk of long-term illnesses. These agents also taint aquatic systems, and are believed to harm pollinators. Frequently low-income and Latino agricultural laborers are most vulnerable.

Frequently Used Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Practices

Agricultural operations apply antibiotics because they eliminate pathogens that can damage or wipe out plants. Among the most common antimicrobial treatments is streptomycin, which is often used in clinical treatment. Figures indicate approximately 125k lbs have been applied on domestic plants in a one year.

Citrus Industry Lobbying and Government Response

The petition is filed as the EPA faces urging to widen the application of medical antimicrobials. The bacterial citrus greening disease, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, is devastating orange groves in Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader perspective this is absolutely a clear decision – it should not be allowed,” the advocate said. “The key point is the massive issues generated by using human medicine on produce greatly exceed the farming challenges.”

Alternative Approaches and Long-term Outlook

Specialists suggest simple crop management measures that should be tried initially, such as wider crop placement, cultivating more disease-resistant strains of plants and detecting infected plants and promptly eliminating them to prevent the pathogens from propagating.

The formal request provides the EPA about 5 years to respond. Previously, the agency banned a pesticide in reaction to a comparable regulatory appeal, but a judge blocked the EPA’s ban.

The agency can enact a ban, or is required to give a justification why it will not. If the EPA, or a later leadership, fails to respond, then the coalitions can take legal action. The process could last more than a decade.

“We are engaged in the extended strategy,” Donley concluded.