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A fresh regulatory appeal from multiple public health and farm worker groups is urging the US environmental regulator to discontinue authorizing the application of antibiotics on produce across the United States, pointing to superbug proliferation and health risks to agricultural workers.

Farming Industry Uses Substantial Amounts of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The agricultural sector applies about 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on US produce every year, with a number of these chemicals banned in other nations.

“Each year the public are at increased threat from dangerous bacteria and diseases because human medicines are used on crops,” said Nathan Donley.

Superbug Threat Creates Serious Public Health Risks

The excessive use of antibiotics, which are critical for treating medical conditions, as agricultural chemicals on fruits and vegetables threatens population health because it can cause antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Similarly, overuse of antifungal treatments can cause mycoses that are harder to treat with present-day medicines.

• Drug-resistant illnesses affect about 2.8 million people and result in about thousands of mortalities each year.
• Public health organizations have associated “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” approved for pesticide use to drug resistance, higher likelihood of bacterial illnesses and elevated threat of MRSA.

Environmental and Health Impacts

Furthermore, eating chemical remnants on crops can alter the digestive system and increase the chance of chronic diseases. These substances also pollute aquatic systems, and are thought to damage insects. Frequently economically disadvantaged and Hispanic agricultural laborers are most vulnerable.

Frequently Used Antibiotic Pesticides and Agricultural Practices

Agricultural operations spray antimicrobials because they kill bacteria that can harm or destroy crops. One of the most common agricultural drugs is a medical drug, which is often used in healthcare. Estimates indicate as much as 125,000 pounds have been used on US crops in a one year.

Citrus Industry Lobbying and Government Response

The petition coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency encounters pressure to increase the use of human antibiotics. The bacterial citrus greening disease, carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, is severely affecting fruit farms in Florida.

“I recognize their desperation because they’re in dire straits, but from a societal perspective this is absolutely a clear decision – it cannot happen,” the advocate commented. “The fundamental issue is the significant issues caused by spraying pharmaceuticals on food crops far outweigh the crop issues.”

Alternative Methods and Long-term Outlook

Advocates propose basic crop management actions that should be tested first, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more robust varieties of crops and identifying infected plants and promptly eliminating them to halt the diseases from spreading.

The petition allows the EPA about 5 years to respond. Previously, the agency outlawed a pesticide in response to a similar formal request, but a court overturned the EPA’s ban.

The agency can implement a ban, or must give a reason why it refuses to. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a subsequent government, fails to respond, then the groups can sue. The process could last more than a decade.

“We are pursuing the prolonged effort,” the expert concluded.