The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a controversial pilot project that allows Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC to construct a small road made from phosphogypsum, a byproduct of fertilizer production containing radioactive material. This approval has triggered backlash from environmental groups, who are alarmed by the potential health and environmental risks associated with the use of phosphogypsum in road construction. Phosphogypsum contains radium, which decays into radon gas—both substances are radioactive and have been linked to increased cancer risks.

Historically, the EPA has expressed concerns about the dangers of using phosphogypsum in construction. In 1992, the agency raised alarms about the risks to construction workers who might be exposed to the material during the building process. The agency also warned that future homeowners, who might construct houses on or near these roads, could be at risk due to long-term exposure to radon. Despite these past concerns, the EPA has now decided that the public will not be at risk of exposure to the radioactive material in this specific project, as the road will be constructed in a way that minimizes contact.

Mosaic Fertilizer has characterized the project as a pilot initiative designed to explore the potential of using phosphogypsum in various road construction designs. The company has emphasized that the project is experimental, and it is unclear whether additional roads will be built using this material. Should further construction take place, it is expected that the company would need to obtain additional approvals from the EPA.

Ragan Whitlock, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed strong opposition to the EPA’s approval, calling the decision “mind-boggling.” Whitlock argued that using phosphogypsum in road construction poses significant risks to both workers and the environment, including potential harm to water quality. He also suggested that the EPA had yielded to political pressure from the phosphate industry, which is keen on finding ways to utilize the waste product. According to Whitlock, this decision could pave the way for the widespread use of radioactive waste in roads across the United States, a move he considers dangerous.

This pilot project follows a similar decision made under the Trump administration in 2020, which allowed the use of phosphogypsum in government-funded road construction. However, that approval was rescinded under the Biden administration, which described it as a broad, generalized request for approval without sufficient consideration of the risks. The Biden administration’s withdrawal of the approval has raised questions about whether the incoming Trump administration might seek to reinstate the use of phosphogypsum in road construction projects.

Typically, phosphogypsum is stored in large, stacked piles as part of an effort to contain the radioactive material and limit public exposure. However, this method has also raised environmental concerns, particularly in storm-prone areas such as Florida, where such stacks are vulnerable to flooding and potential contamination. In approving the pilot road project, the EPA stated that the use of phosphogypsum in this road would offer the same level of protection to human health as storing the material in these stacks. Nevertheless, environmentalists remain concerned about the long-term consequences of using radioactive waste in infrastructure projects, especially when considering the risks it poses to workers, communities, and the environment.