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A recent regulatory appeal from multiple public health and agricultural labor organizations is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to discontinue allowing the application of antimicrobial agents on edible plants across the US, citing superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Industry Sprays Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The crop production applies around 8 million pounds of antibiotic and antifungal treatments on US plants each year, with several of these agents prohibited in foreign countries.

“Every year Americans are at greater risk from dangerous bacteria and infections because human medicines are used on plants,” commented an environmental health director.

Superbug Threat Presents Significant Public Health Dangers

The widespread application of antibiotics, which are critical for treating human disease, as pesticides on produce threatens public health because it can cause superbug bacteria. Likewise, overuse of antifungal treatments can cause fungal infections that are less treatable with present-day medical drugs.

• Drug-resistant diseases affect about millions of individuals and lead to about thirty-five thousand fatalities annually.
• Regulatory bodies have associated “therapeutically critical antibiotics” permitted for crop application to treatment failure, greater chance of pathogenic diseases and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

Meanwhile, ingesting drug traces on food can disrupt the digestive system and increase the chance of chronic diseases. These chemicals also contaminate aquatic systems, and are believed to affect bees. Often economically disadvantaged and minority farm workers are most exposed.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Practices

Growers use antibiotics because they eliminate bacteria that can damage or kill plants. One of the popular agricultural drugs is a medical drug, which is often used in healthcare. Figures indicate approximately significant quantities have been used on domestic plants in a one year.

Citrus Industry Lobbying and Government Response

The formal request coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency experiences pressure to increase the utilization of pharmaceutical drugs. The bacterial citrus greening disease, spread by the insect pest, is severely affecting orange groves in Florida.

“I appreciate their desperation because they’re in serious trouble, but from a broader perspective this is absolutely a no-brainer – it must not occur,” Donley said. “The bottom line is the significant problems generated by spraying pharmaceuticals on edible plants far outweigh the agricultural problems.”

Other Methods and Long-term Outlook

Specialists suggest simple agricultural measures that should be implemented first, such as increasing plant spacing, cultivating more robust varieties of crops and detecting infected plants and promptly eliminating them to stop the diseases from propagating.

The petition allows the Environmental Protection Agency about half a decade to respond. In the past, the regulator outlawed a pesticide in answer to a comparable legal petition, but a judge reversed the regulatory action.

The regulator can impose a restriction, or is required to give a justification why it won’t. If the EPA, or a subsequent government, does not act, then the organizations can sue. The procedure could take many years.

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