FLORIDA — The pesticide will be applied to citrus fruits such as grapefruits, oranges and tangerines.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of antibiotic pesticides on citrus crops.
The antibiotics will be used to fight citrus canker and citrus greening disease in orchards.
The plan is to use 388,000 pounds of oxytetracycline per year to treat 480,000 acres of citrus trees in Florida.
According to the EPA, there is a 'high' probability that the use of the antibiotic pesticide on citrus orchards will lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
There is a 'medium risk' of it having a negative impact on human health. The drug is commonly used to treat pulmonary infections such as pneumonia.
The World Health Organization states that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health.
A growing number of infectious diseases are becoming harder to treat as they become more resistant to antibiotic treatment.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently more than two million people infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year which result in an estimated 23,000 deaths.
