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A newly filed formal request from a dozen health advocacy and farm worker organizations is urging the EPA to cease permitting the application of antimicrobial agents on produce across the US, citing antibiotic-resistant proliferation and health risks to agricultural workers.

Farming Industry Sprays Substantial Amounts of Antimicrobial Pesticides

The farming industry uses approximately 8 million pounds of antimicrobial and fungicidal chemicals on American plants every year, with many of these substances restricted in foreign countries.

“Every year the public are at elevated threat from harmful microbes and diseases because pharmaceutical drugs are used on produce,” commented Nathan Donley.

Antibiotic Resistance Presents Major Health Dangers

The widespread application of antimicrobial drugs, which are critical for combating medical conditions, as agricultural chemicals on produce threatens community well-being because it can lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Similarly, frequent use of antifungal agent treatments can lead to mycoses that are less treatable with existing medicines.

• Antibiotic-resistant illnesses impact about 2.8 million Americans and cause about 35,000 deaths per year.
• Health agencies have linked “therapeutically critical antimicrobials” approved for agricultural spraying to drug resistance, increased risk of staph infections and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

Meanwhile, ingesting drug traces on produce can alter the human gut microbiome and raise the chance of chronic diseases. These agents also pollute aquatic systems, and are considered to affect insects. Often economically disadvantaged and Latino agricultural laborers are most at risk.

Common Agricultural Antimicrobials and Industry Practices

Agricultural operations spray antibiotics because they kill bacteria that can harm or destroy crops. One of the popular antibiotic pesticides is a medical drug, which is often used in medical care. Data indicate approximately 125k lbs have been sprayed on domestic plants in a one year.

Agricultural Sector Pressure and Government Response

The petition is filed as the regulator experiences demands to expand the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The crop infection, carried by the vector, is severely affecting orange groves in southeastern US.

“I understand their urgent need because they’re in difficult circumstances, but from a broader standpoint this is absolutely a no-brainer – it must not occur,” the advocate said. “The key point is the significant issues caused by applying medical drugs on food crops greatly exceed the agricultural problems.”

Alternative Solutions and Long-term Outlook

Advocates propose straightforward farming actions that should be implemented initially, such as planting crops further apart, developing more disease-resistant strains of plants and detecting sick crops and quickly removing them to prevent the pathogens from transmitting.

The formal request provides the Environmental Protection Agency about half a decade to answer. In the past, the organization prohibited a chemical in answer to a parallel legal petition, but a court overturned the agency's prohibition.

The regulator can impose a prohibition, or has to give a justification why it won’t. If the Environmental Protection Agency, or a future administration, declines to take action, then the coalitions can file a lawsuit. The legal battle could last over ten years.

“We are engaged in the long game,” the expert concluded.