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A fresh regulatory appeal from twelve health advocacy and agricultural labor organizations is calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to stop permitting the use of antibiotics on edible plants across the United States, citing superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.

Agricultural Industry Applies Millions of Pounds of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The crop production uses about 8m lbs of antibiotic and antifungal treatments on American produce annually, with many of these agents restricted in international markets.

“Annually US citizens are at greater danger from dangerous bacteria and diseases because medical antibiotics are sprayed on plants,” stated a public health advocate.

Superbug Threat Poses Major Health Dangers

The overuse of antimicrobial drugs, which are essential for combating human disease, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables endangers population health because it can lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, overuse of antifungal agent pesticides can lead to fungal infections that are more resistant with currently available medicines.

• Treatment-resistant infections affect about 2.8 million Americans and cause about 35,000 deaths annually.
• Public health organizations have linked “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” permitted for agricultural spraying to antibiotic resistance, greater chance of pathogenic diseases and higher probability of antibiotic-resistant staph.

Ecological and Public Health Impacts

Meanwhile, ingesting drug traces on food can disturb the intestinal flora and increase the chance of chronic diseases. These chemicals also pollute drinking water supplies, and are believed to harm bees. Typically economically disadvantaged and minority agricultural laborers are most vulnerable.

Frequently Used Antibiotic Pesticides and Agricultural Methods

Growers spray antibiotics because they destroy bacteria that can damage or kill plants. Among the popular antibiotic pesticides is a common antibiotic, which is often used in clinical treatment. Estimates indicate up to 125,000 pounds have been applied on US crops in a one year.

Agricultural Sector Lobbying and Regulatory Response

The legal appeal comes as the Environmental Protection Agency experiences demands to widen the application of human antibiotics. The citrus plant illness, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, is devastating citrus orchards in the state of Florida.

“I understand their urgent need because they’re in dire straits, but from a broader point of view this is absolutely a no-brainer – it cannot happen,” Donley commented. “The fundamental issue is the massive problems caused by applying pharmaceuticals on food crops far outweigh the farming challenges.”

Alternative Methods and Future Prospects

Advocates recommend simple farming measures that should be tried before antibiotics, such as increasing plant spacing, developing more hardy varieties of plants and locating infected plants and rapidly extracting them to prevent the pathogens from transmitting.

The legal appeal provides the EPA about five years to answer. Several years ago, the organization outlawed a chemical in answer to a similar legal petition, but a legal authority reversed the agency's prohibition.

The agency can impose a prohibition, or is required to give a explanation why it refuses to. If the EPA, or a later leadership, declines to take action, then the groups can file a lawsuit. The process could take many years.

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