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A recent regulatory appeal from a dozen health advocacy and farm worker organizations is calling for the EPA to discontinue permitting the application of antimicrobial agents on edible plants across the US, citing superbug spread and health risks to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Industry Sprays Substantial Amounts of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The crop production uses around 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal treatments on US plants annually, with a number of these substances banned in other nations.

“Annually Americans are at greater danger from harmful microbes and illnesses because medical antibiotics are used on plants,” said a public health advocate.

Antibiotic Resistance Presents Serious Health Dangers

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for combating infections, as crop treatments on fruits and vegetables endangers public health because it can lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, overuse of antifungal agent treatments can create fungal diseases that are harder to treat with present-day medical drugs.

• Drug-resistant infections affect about 2.8 million Americans and cause about 35,000 mortalities annually.
• Regulatory bodies have connected “medically important antimicrobials” permitted for pesticide use to drug resistance, higher likelihood of bacterial illnesses and higher probability of MRSA.

Environmental and Public Health Effects

Additionally, eating antibiotic residues on food can disrupt the digestive system and increase the chance of chronic diseases. These chemicals also pollute drinking water supplies, and are thought to damage insects. Typically economically disadvantaged and Latino field workers are most vulnerable.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Agricultural Methods

Growers apply antimicrobials because they destroy bacteria that can damage or kill plants. One of the popular antibiotic pesticides is streptomycin, which is frequently used in healthcare. Figures indicate up to significant quantities have been used on domestic plants in a single year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Regulatory Response

The petition coincides with the EPA faces urging to expand the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The citrus plant illness, spread by the vector, is severely affecting fruit farms in Florida.

“I recognize their critical situation because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader standpoint this is definitely a obvious choice – it cannot happen,” the expert stated. “The fundamental issue is the massive issues caused by using human medicine on food crops greatly exceed the farming challenges.”

Other Approaches and Future Prospects

Advocates suggest basic agricultural steps that should be tested initially, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more disease-resistant varieties of plants and locating infected plants and rapidly extracting them to halt the pathogens from transmitting.

The formal request provides the EPA about 5 years to act. Several years ago, the organization prohibited a chemical in reaction to a comparable formal request, but a legal authority blocked the agency's prohibition.

The agency can impose a prohibition, or is required to give a justification why it won’t. If the regulator, or a subsequent government, declines to take action, then the coalitions can file a lawsuit. The process could require many years.

“We’re playing the prolonged effort,” the advocate concluded.