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A newly filed legal petition from a dozen public health and farm worker coalitions is demanding the US environmental regulator to discontinue permitting the application of antimicrobial agents on food crops across the US, citing superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Farming Sector Applies Millions of Pounds of Antibiotic Crop Treatments

The agricultural sector uses about 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on US plants annually, with a number of these chemicals restricted in foreign countries.

“Every year the public are at greater threat from harmful microbes and infections because medical antibiotics are sprayed on plants,” stated Nathan Donley.

Superbug Threat Presents Serious Public Health Risks

The excessive use of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for combating infections, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables threatens population health because it can cause antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Likewise, overuse of antifungal treatments can lead to fungal infections that are harder to treat with present-day medicines.

• Antibiotic-resistant infections sicken about 2.8m Americans and result in about thousands of mortalities per year.
• Health agencies have linked “therapeutically critical antibiotics” approved for agricultural spraying to treatment failure, higher likelihood of staph infections and elevated threat of MRSA.

Ecological and Health Effects

Meanwhile, consuming drug traces on produce can disturb the intestinal flora and elevate the likelihood of chronic diseases. These chemicals also contaminate aquatic systems, and are considered to harm bees. Often economically disadvantaged and Hispanic agricultural laborers are most at risk.

Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Practices

Farms apply antimicrobials because they eliminate bacteria that can harm or kill plants. Among the most common antibiotic pesticides is a medical drug, which is commonly used in clinical treatment. Data indicate approximately significant quantities have been sprayed on US crops in a one year.

Agricultural Sector Influence and Regulatory Action

The petition comes as the Environmental Protection Agency experiences demands to widen the application of medical antimicrobials. The crop infection, transmitted by the insect pest, is devastating citrus orchards in southeastern US.

“I understand their desperation because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader standpoint this is certainly a no-brainer – it should not be allowed,” Donley said. “The fundamental issue is the massive challenges generated by using human medicine on produce far outweigh the farming challenges.”

Alternative Approaches and Long-term Outlook

Experts propose basic crop management actions that should be tried initially, such as increasing plant spacing, cultivating more robust types of plants and detecting sick crops and rapidly extracting them to prevent the infections from propagating.

The petition allows the EPA about five years to act. Previously, the regulator prohibited a pesticide in response to a similar regulatory appeal, but a court overturned the agency's prohibition.

The regulator can enact a prohibition, or is required to give a explanation why it refuses to. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a later leadership, does not act, then the coalitions can sue. The process could require over ten years.

“We are engaged in the prolonged effort,” the expert concluded.