Florida desires to pave roads with radioactive waste

Florida lawmakers have produced a invoice that may have the state pave its roads with radioactive waste.

Now on the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, HB 1191 might compel the Florida Division of Transportation to review the usage of phosphogypsum—a radioactive byproduct of fertilizer manufacturing—as a paving materials, in keeping with an NPR report.

The invoice, which is reportedly being opposed by conservation teams, units an April 1, 2024 deadline for Florida’s transportation division to make a suggestion on the usage of phosphogypsum. If accepted, the fabric can be used alongside different aggregates like crushed stone, gravel, and sand.

Florida is a significant producer of fertilizer, and that leaves quite a lot of phosphogypsum as waste. Phosphorous is a crucial part of fertilizer, serving to vegetation to develop robust roots and rising crop productiveness, in keeping with NPR. To get it, phosphate rock is dissolved in sulfuric acid to make phosphoric acid.

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This generally used manufacturing course of, which dates again to the 1840s, is not very environment friendly, the report explains. For each ton of phosphoric acid produced, greater than 5 tons of phosphogypsum waste is produced. The phosphogypsum is often left in large heaps—known as “gypstacks”—that may be as much as 200 toes excessive and span 800 acres. They’ve additionally been linked to issues like sinkholes. Which explains why lawmakers are so keen to utilize the stuff.

Nevertheless, phosphogypsum additionally comprises “considerable portions” of the radioactive ingredient uranium and different radioactive parts produced by means of the pure decay of uranium, in keeping with the EPA. Uranium decay varieties radium-226, which in flip decays to type radon, a cancer-causing radioactive fuel. These parts are current within the unique phosphate rock, however the fertilizer manufacturing course of concentrates them, making phosphogypsum extra radioactive than the unique rock, in keeping with the EPA.

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The NPR report cites a fertilizer-industry commerce group that claims utilizing the fabric would not result in radiation publicity past present EPA limits, and Chinese language researchers which can be “optimistic” in regards to the skill of a brand new recycling course of to take away radioactive materials, with the caveat that extra analysis is required.

The EPA would not enable use of phosphogypsum in highway building, a coverage that is been in place nearly constantly for 30 years (the ban was briefly lifted throughout the Trump administration). The company instructed NPR that Florida must apply for approval. So whereas highway builders have tried some unorthodox supplies through the years, they won’t get an opportunity to pave Florida highways with phosphogypsum.