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Environmental Protection Agency Urged to Ban Application of Antibiotics on American Agricultural Produce Amid Resistance Concerns
A recent regulatory appeal from a dozen health advocacy and farm worker organizations is calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to cease permitting the use of antimicrobial agents on produce across the United States, citing superbug development and illnesses to agricultural workers.
Agricultural Sector Uses Large Quantities of Antibiotic Pesticides
The crop production applies about 8 million pounds of antimicrobial and fungicidal pesticides on US produce every year, with several of these agents prohibited in international markets.
“Each year the public are at greater risk from dangerous microbes and infections because human medicines are used on produce,” said an environmental health director.
Superbug Threat Presents Significant Public Health Risks
The overuse of antibiotics, which are critical for treating medical conditions, as crop treatments on produce jeopardizes community well-being because it can cause drug-resistant microbes. Likewise, frequent use of antifungal pesticides can cause mycoses that are less treatable with present-day pharmaceuticals.
- Antibiotic-resistant diseases affect about 2.8m Americans and cause about thirty-five thousand fatalities per year.
- Regulatory bodies have linked “medically important antimicrobials” approved for crop application to antibiotic resistance, increased risk of bacterial illnesses and elevated threat of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Environmental and Public Health Consequences
Meanwhile, ingesting antibiotic residues on food can alter the intestinal flora and elevate the chance of persistent conditions. These chemicals also pollute aquatic systems, and are thought to affect bees. Frequently poor and Latino agricultural laborers are most at risk.
Common Antibiotic Pesticides and Industry Methods
Agricultural operations apply antimicrobials because they kill pathogens that can harm or destroy plants. Among the most common antimicrobial treatments is streptomycin, which is often used in clinical treatment. Figures indicate up to significant quantities have been applied on American produce in a single year.
Citrus Industry Pressure and Regulatory Action
The petition coincides with the EPA encounters pressure to widen the use of human antibiotics. The crop infection, transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, is devastating orange groves in the state of Florida.
“I understand their desperation because they’re in dire straits, but from a societal standpoint this is definitely a no-brainer – it should not be allowed,” the expert said. “The bottom line is the enormous problems created by spraying human medicine on produce greatly exceed the agricultural problems.”
Alternative Methods and Long-term Outlook
Experts propose basic crop management actions that should be implemented first, such as planting crops further apart, cultivating more disease-resistant varieties of produce and detecting infected plants and rapidly extracting them to halt the diseases from transmitting.
The petition allows the EPA about 5 years to act. Previously, the organization prohibited chloropyrifos in response to a comparable legal petition, but a legal authority overturned the agency's prohibition.
The organization can implement a prohibition, or has to give a justification why it won’t. If the EPA, or a later leadership, declines to take action, then the groups can sue. The legal battle could last over ten years.
“We are pursuing the prolonged effort,” Donley stated.
Brian Hernandez
A passionate writer and shopping enthusiast with a keen eye for quality products and lifestyle trends.
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