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A fresh formal request from multiple public health and farm worker coalitions is calling for the EPA to stop permitting the application of antimicrobial agents on edible plants across the United States, highlighting superbug development and health risks to farm laborers.

Farming Industry Uses Millions of Pounds of Antimicrobial Crop Treatments

The crop production sprays around 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal treatments on US food crops every year, with many of these chemicals prohibited in other nations.

“Each year Americans are at elevated danger from harmful pathogens and diseases because human medicines are used on crops,” commented an environmental health director.

Superbug Threat Presents Major Health Threats

The overuse of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for treating infections, as agricultural chemicals on crops jeopardizes community well-being because it can result in antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Similarly, overuse of antifungal treatments can create mycoses that are more resistant with existing pharmaceuticals.

• Treatment-resistant infections sicken about 2.8 million Americans and result in about 35,000 fatalities each year.
• Regulatory bodies have associated “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” approved for pesticide use to antibiotic resistance, greater chance of pathogenic diseases and elevated threat of MRSA.

Environmental and Health Effects

Meanwhile, ingesting drug traces on crops can disrupt the intestinal flora and increase the chance of persistent conditions. These substances also pollute aquatic systems, and are considered to affect insects. Typically economically disadvantaged and minority farm workers are most vulnerable.

Frequently Used Agricultural Antimicrobials and Industry Practices

Farms apply antibiotics because they kill microbes that can harm or wipe out plants. Among the most frequently used agricultural drugs is streptomycin, which is often used in medical care. Figures indicate as much as significant quantities have been used on American produce in a one year.

Citrus Industry Lobbying and Regulatory Response

The formal request is filed as the Environmental Protection Agency faces urging to widen the application of human antibiotics. The bacterial citrus greening disease, spread by the vector, is devastating citrus orchards in Florida.

“I understand their desperation because they’re in serious trouble, but from a public health point of view this is certainly a no-brainer – it must not occur,” the advocate said. “The key point is the significant issues created by using medical drugs on produce significantly surpass the crop issues.”

Other Solutions and Future Outlook

Experts recommend simple farming measures that should be tried initially, such as increasing plant spacing, developing more hardy varieties of produce and detecting diseased trees and rapidly extracting them to halt the pathogens from spreading.

The petition allows the EPA about five years to respond. Several years ago, the agency outlawed a chemical in reaction to a similar legal petition, but a judge reversed the agency's prohibition.

The agency can impose a restriction, or must give a justification why it will not. If the regulator, or a later leadership, does not act, then the coalitions can file a lawsuit. The legal battle could require many years.

“We are pursuing the prolonged effort,” the expert remarked.