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A newly filed legal petition from twelve health advocacy and agricultural labor coalitions is calling for the EPA to cease authorizing the spraying of antimicrobial agents on food crops across the United States, pointing to superbug development and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Industry Uses Large Quantities of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The crop production uses about 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal treatments on American plants each year, with many of these chemicals restricted in other nations.

“Every year US citizens are at elevated danger from dangerous bacteria and infections because human medicines are sprayed on produce,” said an environmental health director.

Superbug Threat Poses Major Health Threats

The widespread application of antibiotics, which are critical for treating human disease, as agricultural chemicals on crops threatens community well-being because it can result in superbug bacteria. Likewise, excessive application of antifungal treatments can lead to fungal infections that are harder to treat with existing medicines.

• Treatment-resistant illnesses affect about 2.8 million individuals and lead to about thousands of mortalities per year.
• Regulatory bodies have linked “clinically significant antimicrobials” approved for crop application to antibiotic resistance, increased risk of staph infections and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

Furthermore, consuming chemical remnants on produce can alter the intestinal flora and elevate the risk of chronic diseases. These substances also taint aquatic systems, and are believed to affect bees. Often economically disadvantaged and Latino field workers are most vulnerable.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Practices

Growers apply antibiotics because they kill bacteria that can damage or destroy produce. Among the popular antimicrobial treatments is a common antibiotic, which is frequently used in healthcare. Estimates indicate approximately 125,000 pounds have been applied on American produce in a single year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Government Response

The legal appeal coincides with the EPA experiences pressure to increase the utilization of medical antimicrobials. The crop infection, carried by the vector, is destroying fruit farms in the state of Florida.

“I understand their desperation because they’re in serious trouble, but from a societal standpoint this is absolutely a no-brainer – it cannot happen,” Donley commented. “The fundamental issue is the enormous issues generated by spraying human medicine on food crops greatly exceed the farming challenges.”

Other Approaches and Future Prospects

Specialists recommend simple agricultural actions that should be implemented first, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more hardy varieties of plants and identifying diseased trees and promptly eliminating them to halt the infections from spreading.

The formal request allows the Environmental Protection Agency about 5 years to respond. Previously, the agency banned a chemical in answer to a parallel regulatory appeal, but a court reversed the EPA’s ban.

The regulator can impose a prohibition, or must give a reason why it won’t. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a later leadership, fails to respond, then the organizations can file a lawsuit. The procedure could take many years.

“We are pursuing the prolonged effort,” the advocate stated.