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Florida lawmakers want to use radioactive material to pave roads
- brodouevencode 4y agoContextual points: * The EPA approved phosphogypsum for road construction in 2020: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-approves-use-phosphogypsum-road-construction https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-approves-use-phosphogyp... * Most phosphogypsum stacks form a crust that helps to contain the radon seepage: https://www.epa.gov/radtown/radioactive-material-fertilizer-production https://www.epa.gov/radtown/radioactive-material-fertilizer-... * If too high concentrations seep into the water, it can create dead zones and algia blooms * Some countries with lower health standards (China) will use the phosphogypsum waste as a drywall additive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphogypsum#cite_note-XinHua-11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphogypsum#cite_note-XinHua... * Phosphogypsum formed during the chemical processing of north Florida rock has only 5 to 10 pCi/g, with 10 pCi/g being the EPA limit: https://web.archive.org/web/20150219224641/http://www1.fipr.state.fl.us/PhosphatePrimer/0/684AE64864D115FE85256F88007AC781 https://web.archive.org/web/20150219224641/http://www1.fipr.... * Other uses for phosphogypsum include soil amendments and construction materials https://feeco.com/phosphogypsum-an-industrial-byproduct-with-value/ https://feeco.com/phosphogypsum-an-industrial-byproduct-with...