EPA Urged to Ban Application of Antibiotics on US Agricultural Produce Amid Resistance Worries
A recent legal petition from twelve health advocacy and farm worker coalitions is calling for the EPA to discontinue allowing the use of antimicrobial agents on produce across the America, citing superbug proliferation and illnesses to agricultural workers.
Farming Industry Sprays Millions of Pounds of Antimicrobial Crop Treatments
The farming industry uses around 8m lbs of antimicrobial and fungicidal pesticides on American produce every year, with many of these chemicals banned in international markets.
“Annually the public are at greater threat from harmful pathogens and diseases because human medicines are applied on plants,” stated a public health advocate.
Superbug Threat Presents Major Public Health Threats
The overuse of antibiotics, which are essential for treating human disease, as pesticides on fruits and vegetables jeopardizes community well-being because it can result in antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In the same way, frequent use of antifungal pesticides can lead to fungal diseases that are more resistant with existing medicines.
- Treatment-resistant infections impact about millions of Americans and result in about 35,000 deaths per year.
- Public health organizations have connected “therapeutically critical antibiotics” permitted for pesticide use to drug resistance, greater chance of bacterial illnesses and increased risk of MRSA.
Environmental and Public Health Consequences
Additionally, ingesting chemical remnants on produce can disrupt the intestinal flora and increase the chance of persistent conditions. These substances also taint water sources, and are thought to affect pollinators. Typically low-income and minority field workers are most at risk.
Frequently Used Agricultural Antimicrobials and Industry Methods
Agricultural operations spray antibiotics because they destroy microbes that can ruin or kill produce. Among the most frequently used antibiotic pesticides is streptomycin, which is often used in medical care. Figures indicate up to 125k lbs have been used on American produce in a one year.
Agricultural Sector Pressure and Regulatory Action
The legal appeal coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency experiences urging to increase the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The citrus plant illness, carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, is destroying citrus orchards in southeastern US.
“I understand their critical situation because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader standpoint this is definitely a clear decision – it must not occur,” Donley said. “The key point is the massive problems generated by using pharmaceuticals on food crops far outweigh the farming challenges.”
Other Solutions and Future Outlook
Advocates recommend simple agricultural actions that should be tested first, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more disease-resistant varieties of produce and detecting diseased trees and rapidly extracting them to halt the pathogens from transmitting.
The formal request allows the EPA about five years to act. Several years ago, the organization banned chloropyrifos in response to a comparable legal petition, but a judge blocked the agency's prohibition.
The agency can enact a restriction, or has to give a reason why it will not. If the EPA, or a later leadership, fails to respond, then the groups can take legal action. The legal battle could take many years.
“We are engaged in the prolonged effort,” the advocate remarked.
