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A newly filed legal petition from twelve public health and farm worker coalitions is urging the EPA to stop allowing the spraying of antibiotics on produce across the America, highlighting superbug spread and illnesses to farm laborers.

Agricultural Sector Uses Large Quantities of Antimicrobial Crop Treatments

The crop production uses about 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on US plants annually, with several of these chemicals restricted in other nations.

“Each year US citizens are at greater threat from harmful bacteria and infections because human medicines are used on plants,” stated an environmental health director.

Superbug Threat Presents Significant Public Health Dangers

The excessive use of antibiotics, which are essential for combating medical conditions, as agricultural chemicals on produce threatens community well-being because it can cause antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Likewise, frequent use of antifungal pesticides can create fungal diseases that are more resistant with present-day pharmaceuticals.

• Antibiotic-resistant infections sicken about 2.8 million Americans and result in about 35,000 deaths annually.
• Health agencies have linked “therapeutically critical antibiotics” permitted for pesticide use to drug resistance, increased risk of staph infections and higher probability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

Furthermore, eating drug traces on produce can disrupt the digestive system and increase the likelihood of chronic diseases. These substances also taint water sources, and are thought to affect pollinators. Frequently poor and minority farm workers are most exposed.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Industry Methods

Farms spray antibiotics because they eliminate microbes that can ruin or wipe out crops. Among the most frequently used agricultural drugs is a medical drug, which is commonly used in healthcare. Estimates indicate as much as 125k lbs have been used on US crops in a annual period.

Agricultural Sector Influence and Regulatory Action

The formal request comes as the Environmental Protection Agency experiences pressure to widen the use of human antibiotics. The crop infection, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, is severely affecting citrus orchards in southeastern US.

“I recognize their critical situation because they’re in dire straits, but from a broader point of view this is certainly a clear decision – it must not occur,” the expert commented. “The fundamental issue is the enormous issues caused by spraying pharmaceuticals on food crops far outweigh the agricultural problems.”

Other Solutions and Future Prospects

Advocates propose basic agricultural actions that should be tested initially, such as wider crop placement, developing more robust types of crops and identifying diseased trees and rapidly extracting them to stop the infections from transmitting.

The petition provides the Environmental Protection Agency about five years to answer. Several years ago, the regulator outlawed chloropyrifos in response to a parallel regulatory appeal, but a court reversed the regulatory action.

The organization can enact a prohibition, or must give a justification why it will not. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a later leadership, fails to respond, then the groups can file a lawsuit. The process could take more than a decade.

“We are engaged in the long game,” the advocate stated.