The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tentatively approved the use of material containing radioactive radium for road construction in Florida, The Hill reports.
In June, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed legislation requiring the region’s Department of Transportation to study the use of phosphogypsum in paving projects.
Environmental groups urged Desantis to veto the bill, saying the radioactive material would degrade water quality and put road construction crews at higher risk for cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency also has a say in the bill’s passage.
Mosaic Fertilizer LLC, a U.S. chemical company and producer of phosphate and potash fertilizers, asked the EPA to allow three 200-foot (61 m. each) sections of road to be constructed with phosphogypsum mixtures.
In its preliminary approval, EPA stated that the potential public health risks from radiation from construction of the small-scale pilot project are no greater than those from storing phosphogypsum in a stack.
Phosphogypsum is a byproduct from the production of fertilizer from phosphate rock. The agency has previously raised concerns about the use of this material in road construction. EPA, in particular, reported that phosphogypsum contains radium, which decays to form radon gas, both of which are radioactive and can cause cancer, RBC reports.