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A newly filed legal petition from multiple health advocacy and agricultural labor groups is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to stop allowing the use of antimicrobial agents on edible plants across the United States, citing superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Sector Applies Substantial Amounts of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The agricultural sector applies around 8 million pounds of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on US food crops every year, with many of these chemicals restricted in international markets.

“Every year US citizens are at greater risk from harmful bacteria and illnesses because medical antibiotics are sprayed on plants,” commented Nathan Donley.

Antibiotic Resistance Poses Serious Health Threats

The excessive use of antibiotics, which are critical for treating infections, as agricultural chemicals on crops endangers public health because it can cause drug-resistant microbes. Likewise, excessive application of antifungal treatments can create fungal diseases that are less treatable with present-day medical drugs.

• Antibiotic-resistant infections sicken about 2.8m people and lead to about 35,000 deaths annually.
• Regulatory bodies have linked “medically important antibiotics” approved for agricultural spraying to treatment failure, higher likelihood of pathogenic diseases and elevated threat of MRSA.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

Meanwhile, consuming chemical remnants on produce can disturb the intestinal flora and elevate the chance of long-term illnesses. These agents also contaminate aquatic systems, and are thought to harm insects. Typically poor and Hispanic farm workers are most exposed.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Industry Practices

Agricultural operations spray antibiotics because they destroy pathogens that can harm or wipe out produce. Among the most common antimicrobial treatments is a medical drug, which is commonly used in healthcare. Estimates indicate approximately 125k lbs have been applied on domestic plants in a single year.

Citrus Industry Lobbying and Government Response

The legal appeal coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency experiences pressure to widen the application of medical antimicrobials. The bacterial citrus greening disease, carried by the vector, is destroying citrus orchards in the state of Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader standpoint this is certainly a no-brainer – it should not be allowed,” the expert commented. “The bottom line is the significant challenges generated by spraying human medicine on produce far outweigh the agricultural problems.”

Other Solutions and Future Outlook

Specialists suggest basic agricultural measures that should be tested first, such as wider crop placement, cultivating more robust varieties of produce and detecting infected plants and promptly eliminating them to halt the pathogens from propagating.

The petition provides the EPA about half a decade to answer. In the past, the regulator outlawed a pesticide in response to a similar legal petition, but a legal authority blocked the EPA’s ban.

The agency can enact a ban, or must give a justification why it will not. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a future administration, does not act, then the coalitions can take legal action. The legal battle could require many years.

“We are engaged in the extended strategy,” the advocate remarked.