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A fresh regulatory appeal from a dozen health advocacy and farm worker groups is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to discontinue allowing the application of antibiotics on edible plants across the United States, citing antibiotic-resistant proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Sector Applies Substantial Amounts of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The crop production applies about 8 million pounds of antimicrobial and fungicidal pesticides on US food crops every year, with many of these chemicals banned in other nations.

“Annually the public are at increased risk from toxic pathogens and diseases because pharmaceutical drugs are sprayed on produce,” stated a public health advocate.

Superbug Threat Poses Serious Public Health Dangers

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for combating human disease, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables threatens public health because it can lead to superbug bacteria. Similarly, frequent use of antifungal agent pesticides can lead to fungal diseases that are less treatable with existing medicines.

• Antibiotic-resistant illnesses affect about millions of people and lead to about thousands of mortalities annually.
• Regulatory bodies have associated “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” approved for crop application to treatment failure, higher likelihood of pathogenic diseases and elevated threat of MRSA.

Environmental and Public Health Effects

Furthermore, ingesting drug traces on food can disturb the intestinal flora and elevate the likelihood of persistent conditions. These agents also contaminate water sources, and are considered to affect insects. Often economically disadvantaged and Hispanic farm workers are most vulnerable.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Practices

Agricultural operations spray antimicrobials because they destroy bacteria that can ruin or destroy crops. One of the most common agricultural drugs is a medical drug, which is often used in medical care. Data indicate up to 125k lbs have been applied on domestic plants in a annual period.

Agricultural Sector Influence and Regulatory Action

The legal appeal comes as the Environmental Protection Agency experiences demands to expand the application of pharmaceutical drugs. The bacterial citrus greening disease, carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, is devastating orange groves in the state of Florida.

“I recognize their critical situation because they’re in dire straits, but from a societal point of view this is definitely a clear decision – it should not be allowed,” Donley stated. “The fundamental issue is the significant problems created by applying medical drugs on food crops far outweigh the crop issues.”

Other Methods and Long-term Outlook

Advocates recommend basic farming steps that should be tried before antibiotics, such as increasing plant spacing, cultivating more robust types of crops and locating infected plants and rapidly extracting them to halt the infections from transmitting.

The petition gives the regulator about five years to answer. Several years ago, the organization outlawed chloropyrifos in response to a similar formal request, but a legal authority overturned the agency's prohibition.

The agency can implement a restriction, or is required to give a explanation why it will not. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a subsequent government, fails to respond, then the organizations can sue. The legal battle could take many years.

“We’re playing the long game,” the advocate remarked.