Tell the EPA to ban spraying antibiotics on citrus trees

The Environmental Protection Agency ignored warnings from federal scientists when it proposed spraying two types of antibiotics used in human medicine -- to treat pneumonia and syphilis (among other infections) -- in U.S. citrus groves. The widespread application of these important medicines risks creating antibiotic-resistant "superbugs."

A new study focusing on one of those antibiotics found that spraying the drug on citrus trees has almost no effect on the citrus infection growers hope to treat known as "greening" -- The effects of the drug's overuse on human health, however, could be serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that using antibiotics in this way can breed antibiotic resistant bacteria that may pose serious risks to human health.

Our antibiotics are too critical to throw away spraying them on oranges. Tell the EPA to rescind its approval for spraying our life-saving medicines on citrus trees before they lose their effectiveness.

Subject: Stop the widespread spraying of antibiotics on citrus trees