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A newly filed legal petition from twelve public health and farm worker groups is urging the EPA to discontinue permitting the spraying of antimicrobial agents on produce across the US, citing superbug development and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Industry Uses Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The crop production sprays about 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal treatments on American produce every year, with a number of these agents restricted in international markets.

“Every year Americans are at increased risk from harmful microbes and infections because human medicines are used on crops,” stated a public health advocate.

Antibiotic Resistance Presents Major Health Risks

The overuse of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for addressing medical conditions, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables threatens population health because it can result in superbug bacteria. Likewise, frequent use of antifungal pesticides can create fungal diseases that are harder to treat with existing medical drugs.

• Drug-resistant illnesses sicken about 2.8m individuals and lead to about 35,000 mortalities per year.
• Health agencies have associated “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” approved for crop application to antibiotic resistance, increased risk of staph infections and increased risk of antibiotic-resistant staph.

Environmental and Public Health Consequences

Additionally, ingesting antibiotic residues on produce can alter the human gut microbiome and raise the chance of chronic diseases. These substances also pollute water sources, and are thought to damage pollinators. Often low-income and minority farm workers are most exposed.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Methods

Farms apply antibiotics because they destroy microbes that can ruin or wipe out produce. Among the most frequently used antimicrobial treatments is streptomycin, which is commonly used in healthcare. Estimates indicate as much as 125,000 pounds have been sprayed on US crops in a single year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Regulatory Response

The petition coincides with the EPA encounters pressure to widen the use of human antibiotics. The bacterial citrus greening disease, carried by the insect pest, is severely affecting citrus orchards in Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in serious trouble, but from a public health perspective this is absolutely a no-brainer – it should not be allowed,” the advocate said. “The bottom line is the enormous challenges created by spraying pharmaceuticals on edible plants greatly exceed the crop issues.”

Alternative Approaches and Future Outlook

Experts recommend basic agricultural actions that should be tested initially, such as wider crop placement, developing more disease-resistant varieties of produce and locating sick crops and rapidly extracting them to stop the infections from spreading.

The formal request provides the regulator about 5 years to act. Previously, the agency outlawed chloropyrifos in reaction to a similar formal request, but a judge blocked the regulatory action.

The organization can impose a restriction, or is required to give a reason why it refuses to. If the regulator, or a later leadership, does not act, then the organizations can sue. The procedure could require over ten years.

“We’re playing the extended strategy,” the expert remarked.