Florida wants to pave roads with radioactive waste

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Florida lawmakers have produced a bill that would make the state pave its roads with radioactive waste.

Now on the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, HB 1191 could force the Florida Department of Transportation to study the use of phosphogypsum, a radioactive byproduct of fertilizer production, as a paving material, according to a npr report.

The bill, which is reportedly opposed by conservation groups, sets an April 1, 2024 deadline for the Florida department of transportation to make a recommendation on the use of phosphogypsum. If approved, the material would be used along with other aggregates such as crushed stone, gravel and sand.

Florida is a major producer of fertilizers, and that leaves a lot of phosphogypsum as waste. Phosphorus is an important component of fertilizers, helping plants develop strong roots and increasing crop productivity, according to NPR. To obtain it, phosphate rock is dissolved in sulfuric acid to produce phosphoric acid.

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This commonly used production process, which dates back to the 1840s, is not very efficient, the report explains. For every ton of phosphoric acid produced, more than five tons of phosphogypsum waste are produced. Phosphogypsum is typically left in massive piles, called “gypsum piles,” which can be up to 200 feet high and span 800 acres. They have also been linked to problems like sinkholes. Which explains why legislators are so eager to make use of the stuff.

However, phosphogypsum also contains “appreciable amounts” of the radioactive element uranium and other radioactive elements produced through the natural decay of uranium, according to the EPA. The decay of uranium forms radium-226, which in turn decays to form radon, a radioactive gas that causes cancer. These elements are present in the original phosphate rock, but the fertilizer production process concentrates them, making the phosphate gypsum more radioactive than the original rock, according to the EPA.

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The NPR report cites a fertilizer industry trade group that claims use of the material would not lead to radiation exposure beyond current EPA limits, and Chinese researchers who are “optimistic” about the ability of a new recycling process to remove radioactive material, with the caveat that more research is required.

The EPA does not allow the use of phosphogypsum in highway construction, a policy that has been in place almost continuously for 30 years (the ban was lifted briefly during the Trump administration). The agency told NPR that Florida will have to apply for approval. So while the road builders have tried some unorthodox stuff As the years go by, they may not get the chance to pave Florida roads with phosphogypsum.