The Hillsborough County Commission recently voted to ban the use of phosphogypsum in any county road construction.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of phosphogypsum in road construction. Phosphogypsum is the radioactive waste product left over from the production of fertilizer, and Florida has a lot of phosphogypsum.
High radionuclide levels, increased health risks, increased groundwater contamination, and a lack of state regulatory oversight are some of the many reasons why phosphogypsum should not be used in road construction.
The distribution of phosphogypsum will unnecessarily expose workers, the environment, and the general public to otherwise avoidable radiation exposure.
To allow the use of phosphogypsum as a construction material is the height of irresponsibility. Allowing phosphogypsum to be used for road construction will open the regulatory door for the use of phosphogypsum in construction or agricultural applications. The radioactive decay of this material will emit particles that can cause increased cancer risks and unacceptable radiation levels in areas normally not having such problems.
To date, there have been no published scientific studies confirming that there is a "safe" industrial process to convert phosphogypsum for uses such as roads. The EPA’s exemption to their own radiation rule seems to be based more on EPA’s failure to reduce the generation of toxic phosphogypsum rather than reducing the public health hazard posed by this material. All uses of phosphogypsum can cause significant health risks.
In addition to high radium 226 levels, central Florida phosphogypsum also contains significant amounts of sulfur and various heavy metals such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, and lead. Contaminated water and dissolved materials containing these toxins have the potential to seep from phosphogypsum used for construction purposes and pollute the underlying aquifer.
Phosphate companies have had more than 50 years to figure out a way to dispose of the radioactive gypsum wastes in an environmentally acceptable manner but have yet to do so. Instead, the industry is producing tens of millions of tons of waste annually, and the industry continues to expand its dumping operations.
ManaSota-88 has requested that the Manatee and Sarasota County Commission ban the use of phosphogypsum in any of the county’s road projects.
The Board of Manatee County Commissioners may be reached by clicking: EMAIL ALL COMMISSIONERS
Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.
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