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Construction workers build along Route 836 in Miami in 2018. HB 1191 prompted the Florida Department of Transportation to consider using phosphorous gypsum in paving projects.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Construction workers build along Route 836 in Miami in 2018. HB 1191 prompted the Florida Department of Transportation to consider using phosphorous gypsum in paving projects.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Florida roads could soon contain gypsum phosphate, a radioactive waste product from the fertilizer industry, under a bill sent by lawmakers to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Conservation groups are asking DeSantis to veto the bill, saying gypsum phosphate degrades water quality and puts road workers at cancer risk.
Here’s what you need to know about the law and phosphogypsum.
What exactly does the law do?
HB 1191 compels the Florida Department of Transportation to study the use of phosphorous gypsum in paving projects and states, “The use of phosphorous gypsum as an aggregate material in road construction to determine its feasibility as a paving material requested a demonstration project.
If approved, phosphogypsum will bind to paving aggregates such as crushed stone, gravel and sand. Industrial by-products and recycled materials have also been used as aggregates in recent years, according to the Federal Road Administration.
The bill sets a deadline of April 1, 2024, less than a year for transit agencies to complete their work and make recommendations. The Republican-dominated Florida legislature approved the bill by a wide margin.
What is gypsum phosphate and why is it so common?
Among fertilizers, phosphorus is particularly important for plants to develop strong roots and increase crop productivity. Florida has been an important source since her 1800s. Today, the EPA says, “Florida alone accounts for about 80% of current capacity, making it the world’s largest phosphate producing region.”
When rock phosphate is dissolved in sulfuric acid to make phosphoric acid for use in fertilizers and other uses, gypsum phosphate is left over.
Commonly used manufacturing processes dating back to the 1840s are not very efficient. For every tonne of phosphoric acid produced, more than five tons of phosphogypsum waste are produced.
Florida’s prominent role means that the state also has large-scale waste sites called phosphorous gypsum stacks, or “gypsum stacks.” Such stacks can be very large, reaching up to 800 acres and about 200 feet high. They have led to serious problems over the years due to sinkholes and other breaches.
Is it dangerous?
According to the EPA, “phosphogypsum contains significant amounts of uranium and its decay products, such as radium-226.” “Phosphorus gypsum is more radioactive than the original phosphate rock,” the agency notes, because the waste is concentrated during the fertilizer manufacturing process.
“Radium is of particular concern because it decays to form radon, a radioactive gas that causes cancer,” the EPA adds.
An analysis commissioned by the Fertilizer Association, a group representing the fertilizer industry, disagrees, stating that using gypsum phosphate in road construction does not generate radioactive doses in excess of the EPA’s acceptable risk. Such work is stated to be “safe to perform and at a fraction of the dose resulting from natural background radiation”.
Last November, Chinese researchers who reviewed a large body of existing research on recycling gypsum phosphate said they were optimistic about its potential use in road-building materials. However, they noted that “few studies have focused on its durability or analyzed its long-term effects on soil and water resources,” concluding that more research is needed. .
Critics of the new law have asked DeSantis to exercise a veto.
“Using radioactive gypsum phosphate on roads does not solve the toxic waste problem of the fertilizer industry,” the Center for Biodiversity and more than 30 other groups said in a letter to the governor. “Florida should not be the subject of industry’s reckless experimentation.”
The group has already shown that the fertilizer industry cannot adequately manage the more than 1 billion tons of waste currently stored in Florida.
Are Florida Plans Legal?
The EPA states that “phosphorus gypsum remains prohibited for use in road construction,” as it has been used almost continuously for over 30 years.
Under former President Donald Trump, the EPA temporarily withdrew its policy from October 2020. However, in June 2021, we have reinstated the rules.
Florida law does not fully address the federal prohibition by stating that gypsum phosphate can be used as an aggregate “under the terms of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval for use.” , also notes that the EPA allows its use for research purposes, claiming that gypsum phosphate is technically not a “solid waste.”
When NPR reached out to comment on Florida’s plan, the EPA did not immediately issue a statement.
what’s next?
DeSantis can sign the phosphate gypsum road test bill at any time. If he doesn’t act, the bill will automatically be enacted.
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