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A fresh regulatory appeal from a dozen public health and agricultural labor groups is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to cease authorizing the spraying of antimicrobial agents on food crops across the United States, pointing to antibiotic-resistant spread and health risks to farm laborers.

Farming Industry Sprays Substantial Amounts of Antibiotic Pesticides

The farming industry uses about substantial volumes of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on US produce annually, with several of these substances restricted in foreign countries.

“Each year Americans are at increased risk from toxic pathogens and infections because pharmaceutical drugs are sprayed on plants,” commented Nathan Donley.

Superbug Threat Creates Significant Public Health Dangers

The widespread application of antibiotics, which are vital for combating infections, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables jeopardizes public health because it can lead to drug-resistant microbes. Likewise, frequent use of antifungal treatments can lead to mycoses that are more resistant with existing medical drugs.

• Antibiotic-resistant illnesses affect about millions of Americans and cause about thirty-five thousand mortalities annually.
• Regulatory bodies have connected “clinically significant antimicrobials” authorized for pesticide use to antibiotic resistance, greater chance of staph infections and elevated threat of MRSA.

Environmental and Health Consequences

Meanwhile, consuming chemical remnants on crops can alter the human gut microbiome and increase the risk of long-term illnesses. These agents also contaminate water sources, and are considered to damage insects. Frequently low-income and Hispanic farm workers are most at risk.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Agricultural Methods

Growers use antibiotics because they eliminate pathogens that can damage or wipe out produce. Among the most common antimicrobial treatments is streptomycin, which is commonly used in healthcare. Data indicate approximately 125,000 pounds have been used on domestic plants in a single year.

Citrus Industry Pressure and Government Response

The legal appeal is filed as the Environmental Protection Agency faces pressure to increase the use of medical antimicrobials. The bacterial citrus greening disease, carried by the insect pest, is destroying orange groves in Florida.

“I appreciate their urgent need because they’re in serious trouble, but from a public health point of view this is absolutely a clear decision – it should not be allowed,” the advocate said. “The bottom line is the massive challenges generated by spraying pharmaceuticals on food crops greatly exceed the crop issues.”

Other Approaches and Long-term Outlook

Experts suggest straightforward farming measures that should be tried first, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more robust strains of produce and locating infected plants and promptly eliminating them to prevent the diseases from spreading.

The petition allows the EPA about five years to answer. Previously, the organization banned a chemical in reaction to a parallel regulatory appeal, but a judge reversed the agency's prohibition.

The agency can implement a prohibition, or has to give a explanation why it won’t. If the regulator, or a future administration, does not act, then the groups can sue. The legal battle could last many years.

“We are engaged in the extended strategy,” Donley stated.