EPA Urged to Ban Spraying of Antibiotics on American Food Crops Amidst Superbug Concerns

A newly filed legal petition from a dozen public health and farm worker coalitions is demanding the Environmental Protection Agency to discontinue permitting the use of antimicrobial agents on edible plants across the US, highlighting superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Industry Uses Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The farming industry sprays about 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal pesticides on US food crops every year, with many of these substances banned in foreign countries.

“Every year the public are at increased threat from dangerous bacteria and diseases because medical antibiotics are used on produce,” stated a public health advocate.

Antibiotic Resistance Creates Significant Health Threats

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are essential for combating human disease, as pesticides on crops endangers public health because it can cause antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, excessive application of antifungal agent pesticides can create mycoses that are harder to treat with present-day medicines.

• Antibiotic-resistant diseases affect about 2.8m individuals and lead to about thirty-five thousand deaths each year.
• Regulatory bodies have connected “therapeutically critical antibiotics” authorized for agricultural spraying to treatment failure, greater chance of pathogenic diseases and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Ecological and Public Health Impacts

Meanwhile, eating chemical remnants on crops can alter the human gut microbiome and elevate the chance of persistent conditions. These substances also taint drinking water supplies, and are considered to affect bees. Frequently economically disadvantaged and Latino farm workers are most exposed.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Methods

Growers use antimicrobials because they destroy bacteria that can harm or kill plants. One of the most common antimicrobial treatments is a medical drug, which is often used in medical care. Figures indicate approximately 125k lbs have been applied on US crops in a annual period.

Citrus Industry Influence and Regulatory Response

The petition is filed as the EPA encounters demands to expand the use of medical antimicrobials. The citrus plant illness, carried by the vector, is destroying citrus orchards in southeastern US.

“I recognize their urgent need because they’re in dire straits, but from a public health standpoint this is definitely a clear decision – it should not be allowed,” Donley said. “The key point is the massive problems caused by using human medicine on produce greatly exceed the agricultural problems.”

Other Methods and Long-term Outlook

Advocates suggest simple crop management steps that should be implemented first, such as increasing plant spacing, cultivating more disease-resistant types of crops and detecting sick crops and rapidly extracting them to prevent the infections from spreading.

The petition gives the EPA about five years to answer. In the past, the organization banned chloropyrifos in response to a similar legal petition, but a court overturned the regulatory action.

The organization can impose a ban, or is required to give a reason why it won’t. If the EPA, or a later leadership, declines to take action, then the coalitions can sue. The legal battle could take more than a decade.

“We are engaged in the prolonged effort,” the expert concluded.