TAMPA, Fla. — Earlier this year, you may have read headlines suggesting Florida might have “radioactive roads made of potentially cancer-causing mining waste.”

Those articles followed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) signing a bill into law that the legislature passed. Spectrum Bay News 9 thought it was important to dig deeper into what that bill did and did not do, and whether cancer-causing material would be used on our roads.

The Background

Most companies that make fertilizer use phosphate rock to do it. They remove phosphorous from the rock by dissolving it in an acidic solution. What’s left over is called “phosphogypsum,” a calcium sulfate hydrate that includes naturally-occurring uranium, thorium and radium. According to the EPA, “uranium and thorium decay to radium, and radium decays to radon, a radioactive gas.”

Because there is no safe way to dispose of the phosphogypsum, these companies are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to pile it up on private property in what are often called “gypsum stacks.” The phosphate industry is concentrated in the Southeast, and Florida has multiple gypsum stacks across the state.

Since 1992, the EPA has outlawed the use of phosphogypsum in road projects, worried about the risk of cancer.

The Bill

In June, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill (HB 1191) into law that directed the Florida Department of Transportation to conduct a study on whether phosphogypsum was “suitable” as a “construction aggregate material.” The study needed to be done by April 1, 2024.

If it was deemed “suitable,” phosphogypsum could then be used in road construction projects, as long as it followed rules set forth by the EPA.

“It’s another good opportunity to push for science to rule the day,” said Jackie Barron, public affairs manager for Mosaic, a company that makes fertilizer and stacks phosphogypsum at multiple locations in Tampa Bay. “If it’s a good product that can be put to good use, why would we just let it languish in a stack?”

The Debate

Mosaic disputes that phosphogypsum is unsafe. Barron says other countries – she cites Australia and Canada – are using phosphogypsum for other projects. Leaders at Mosaic believe the United States should at least study whether it would be safe to join the list.

“The focus right now is what else can be done with this other than stack it,” Barron said.

But environmental groups fear that would be dangerous.

Glenn Compton is the chairman of the group Manasota-88, a non-profit that works to protect the environment.

“To me, it just doesn’t make any sense that we are even considering this as a mixture in a concrete road that may end up in front of someone’s driveway,” Compton said, citing concerns it would harm people and hurt the environment. “It is a toxic material and should not be used.”

Compton accuses companies like Mosaic of attempting to increase profits by finding another use for phosphogypsum, at the expense and vulnerability of ordinary citizens.

“This is all about money,” Compton said. “They’re trying to increase their bottom-line profits by spreading their waste around the state of Florida so they don’t have to manage it.”

Spectrum Bay News 9 asked Barron whether Mosaic would make money off using phosphogypsum in roads.

“To be honest, we don’t know the answer to that question. We haven’t gotten that far along,” Barron said. “This is not about a new business endeavor. This is about removing an eyesore from the environment that doesn’t need to be there because there are good productive uses for it.”

The Future

In addition to the study, the Florida Department of Transportation will conduct on the “suitability” of phosphogypsum in road construction. Mosaic has also asked the EPA if they can do their own demonstration project.

Mosaic wants to create a road at its New Wales facility, with a roadbed made in part of phosphogypsum. Then, over the course of 12-18 months, they would monitor the impact on soil and air. They would then turn the results over to the EPA, hoping the federal agency would alter its position.

Compton hopes they stand firm, believing allowing for use in roads would be a dangerous choice.

“(The) worst-case scenario is they get the permits to put phosphogypsum into road construction and we don’t know where this hazardous waste material ends up,” Compton said.

Mosaic is waiting for the EPA to approve the demonstration project.