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A fresh legal petition from twelve public health and farm worker groups is calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to discontinue permitting the spraying of antibiotics on produce across the US, citing superbug development and health risks to farm laborers.

Agricultural Industry Applies Large Quantities of Antimicrobial Crop Treatments

The crop production uses about 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal pesticides on American food crops each year, with many of these substances banned in foreign countries.

“Each year Americans are at elevated risk from toxic bacteria and infections because pharmaceutical drugs are applied on plants,” commented an environmental health director.

Antibiotic Resistance Creates Serious Public Health Dangers

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are vital for addressing medical conditions, as pesticides on crops jeopardizes public health because it can result in drug-resistant microbes. In the same way, excessive application of antifungal treatments can lead to fungal infections that are less treatable with existing medicines.

• Antibiotic-resistant illnesses sicken about 2.8 million people and result in about thirty-five thousand deaths annually.
• Health agencies have associated “medically important antibiotics” approved for agricultural spraying to treatment failure, increased risk of staph infections and higher probability of MRSA.

Environmental and Public Health Consequences

Meanwhile, consuming drug traces on food can disturb the human gut microbiome and increase the likelihood of chronic diseases. These chemicals also contaminate water sources, and are believed to harm bees. Typically low-income and Latino field workers are most exposed.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Methods

Agricultural operations apply antimicrobials because they destroy pathogens that can damage or destroy produce. One of the most frequently used agricultural drugs is a common antibiotic, which is often used in clinical treatment. Data indicate approximately significant quantities have been applied on domestic plants in a one year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Government Response

The legal appeal comes as the EPA experiences urging to expand the utilization of medical antimicrobials. The crop infection, spread by the vector, is devastating fruit farms in the state of Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in dire straits, but from a public health perspective this is certainly a clear decision – it should not be allowed,” the advocate stated. “The bottom line is the massive problems generated by using human medicine on food crops greatly exceed the crop issues.”

Alternative Approaches and Long-term Prospects

Advocates propose simple farming steps that should be tested before antibiotics, such as increasing plant spacing, cultivating more robust strains of crops and identifying infected plants and quickly removing them to halt the pathogens from transmitting.

The petition gives the EPA about five years to act. Several years ago, the regulator banned a chemical in response to a comparable regulatory appeal, but a court overturned the agency's prohibition.

The organization can enact a restriction, or must give a reason why it refuses to. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a subsequent government, declines to take action, then the organizations can take legal action. The process could require many years.

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