Image:
Amy
G ee /I side
Climate
News
I
P og ess
Village,
Flo ida,
a
huge
mou d
of
i dust ial
waste
has
become
a
symbol
of
a
much
bigge
e vi o me tal
a d
public-health
debate.
The
histo ically
Black
commu ity
sits
beside
a
massive
phosphogypsum
stack,
a
st uctu e
c eated
f om
the
waste
left
behi d
du i g
phosphate
fe tilise
p oductio .The
stack
is
difficult
to
miss.
The
st uctu e
cove s
about
367
ac es
a d
is
topped
by
a
ete tio
po d
co tai i g
millio s
of
gallo s
of
wate
associated
with
fe tilise
p oductio .
Reside ts
have
spe t
yea s
questio i g
whethe
livi g
so
close
to
the
site
exposes
thei
families
to
u acceptable
e vi o me tal
isks.The
co ce s
a e
pa ticula ly
se ious
because
phosphogypsum
is
ot
simply
o di a y
i dust ial
waste.
It
ca
co tai
atu ally
occu i g
adioactive
mate ials,
i cludi g
u a ium,
tho ium
a d
adium,
which
a e
i he ited
f om
the
phosphate
ock
used
du i g
fe tilise
p oductio .
The
debate
has
the efo e
ce t ed
ot
o ly
o
the
e o mous
scale
of
the
waste
pile
but
also
o
how
commu ities
ca
be
p otected
whe
i dust ial
sites
co tai i g
adioactive
mate ials
sit
close
to
homes,
schools
a d
eve yday
life.
A
massive
i dust ial
waste
stack
towe s
ove
a
histo ically
Black
commu ity
Phosphogypsum
is
p oduced
whe
phosphate
ock
is
p ocessed
to
ma ufactu e
phospho ic
acid,
which
is
the
used
to
make
fe tilise .
La ge
qua tities
of
the
by-p oduct
a e
ge e ated
du i g
the
p ocess,
leavi g
compa ies
with
a
difficult
waste-ma ageme t
p oblem.The
US
E vi o me tal
P otectio
Age cy
explai s
that
phosphate
o e
co tai s
u a ium
a d
adium,
mea i g
these
adio uclides
ca
emai
i
phosphogypsum.
Radium
is
pa ticula ly
impo ta t
because
it
decays
i to
ado ,
a
adioactive
gas
that
ca
i c ease
the
isk
of
lu g
ca ce
followi g
p olo ged
exposu e
at
elevated
levels.A
2025
eview
by
Li da
Mai a,
Kata zy a
Kiegiel
a d
G aży a
Zak zewska-Kołtu iewicz,
published
i
Sustai ability
u de
the
title
‘Challe ges
a d
St ategies
fo
the
Sustai able
E vi o me tal
Ma ageme t
of
Phosphogypsum’,
highlighted
the
wide
e vi o me tal
p oblems
associated
with
the
mate ial.
The
autho s
oted
that
phosphogypsum
ca
co tai
adio uclides
a d
pote tially
toxic
t ace
eleme ts,
with
the
compositio
va yi g
acco di g
to
the
geological
sou ce
of
the
phosphate
ock.The
esea che s
specifically
ide tified
phosphate
ock
f om
Flo ida
as
havi g
compa atively
high
co ce t atio s
of
u a ium,
tho ium
a d
thei
decay
p oducts,
ei fo ci g
the
eed
fo
ca eful
ma ageme t
a d
mo ito i g
of
the
esulti g
waste.
P og ess
Village
has
lived
beside
the
p oblem
fo
decades
The
co ce s
su ou di g
the
stack
a e
i sepa able
f om
the
histo y
of
P og ess
Village
itself.
The
commu ity
was
established
i
the
1950s
as
a
pla ed
eighbou hood
fo
Black
eside ts
du i g
a
pe iod
whe
acial
seg egatio
seve ely
est icted
whe e
Af ica
Ame ica s
could
live.
Ove
time,
i dust ial
developme t
expa ded
a ou d
the
commu ity.Reside ts
late
opposed
the
co st uctio
of
a othe
phosphogypsum
stack
i
the
a ea
du i g
the
1980s.
Thei
objectio s
did
ot
p eve t
the
p oject
f om
goi g
ahead,
a d
the
esulti g
waste
st uctu e
eve tually
became
a
pe ma e t
pa t
of
the
la dscape.Today,
eside ts
co ti ue
to
questio
whethe
thei
commu ity
has
ca ied
a
u fai
sha e
of
the
e vi o me tal
bu de
c eated
by
the
egio ‘s
phosphate
i dust y.
WUSF
epo ted
that
e vi o me tal
e gi ee
a d
P og ess
Village
eside t
Walte
Smith
II
has
wo ked
to
aise
awa e ess
of
the
pote tial
health
a d
safety
isks
faci g
people
livi g
ea
the
i dust ial
facilities.
The
co ce
exte ds
beyo d
adiatio
to
wate
a d
floodi g
Radiatio
is
o ly
o e
pa t
of
the
p oblem
eside ts
wo y
about.
Phosphogypsum
stacks
a e
ofte
topped
by
la ge
ete tio
po ds
co tai i g
p ocess
wate .
That
c eates
a othe
pote tial
e vi o me tal
vul e ability,
pa ticula ly
i
a
state
egula ly
exposed
to
hu ica es
a d
ext eme
ai fall.The
da ge s
of
poo ly
co tai ed
phosphate-i dust y
wastewate
became
especially
visible
i
2021,
whe
a
se ious
leak
at
the
fo me
Pi ey
Poi t
facility
i
Flo ida
led
autho ities
to
evacuate
ea by
eside ts
a d
discha ge
millio s
of
gallo s
of
co tami ated
wate
to
p eve t
a
pote tially
la ge
failu e.P og ess
Village
eside ts
the efo e
face
a
difficult
questio :
what
could
happe
if
a
majo
sto m,
floodi g
eve t
o
st uctu al
failu e
comp omised
o e
of
the
e o mous
i dust ial
waste
st uctu es
su ou di g
the
commu ity?The
local
e vi o me tal
advocates
have
specifically
aised
co ce s
about
the
co seque ces
of
a
majo
hu ica e
st iki g
the
a ea,
give
the
combi atio
of
the
phosphogypsum
stack,
its
wastewate
ese voi
a d
existi g
floodi g
vul e abilities.
Scie tists
have
fou d
that
phosphogypsum
ca
affect
ai
a d
wate
quality
Resea ch
i to
Flo ida’s
phosphogypsum
stacks
has
p ovided
easo s
fo
co ti ued
mo ito i g,
although
it
does
ot
establish
that
eve y
pe so
livi g
ea
a
stack
will
develop
ca ce .The
study
published
i
E vi o me tal
Mo ito i g
a d
Assessme t
measu ed
ado
a d
pa ticulate
matte
ea
th ee
la ge
Flo ida
phosphogypsum
stacks.
The
esea che s
desc ibed
phosphogypsum
as
a
majo
sou ce
of
co ce
because
of
its
ado
emissio s
a d
i vestigated
how
atmosphe ic
co ce t atio s
va ied
with
dista ce
a d
weathe
co ditio s.Wate
co tami atio
is
a othe
issue
scie tists
have
i vestigated.
Resea ch
titled
‘Fate
a d
t a spo t
of
adioactive
gypsum
stack
wate
e te i g
the
Flo ida
aquife
due
to
a
si khole
collapse,’
fou d
that
afte
a
2016
si khole
be eath
Flo ida
phosphogypsum
stack
allowed
co tami ated
wate
to
e te
the
u de lyi g
aquife .
The
esea ch
modelled
the
moveme t
of
adioactive
stack
wate
th ough
the
Flo ida
aquife
system,
highlighti g
the
impo ta ce
of
p otecti g
g ou dwate
a ou d
these
facilities.These
studies
do
ot
p ove
a
specific
ca ce
bu de
i
P og ess
Village.
They
i stead
demo st ate
why
commu ities
ea
phosphogypsum
sto age
facilities
have
legitimate
easo s
to
dema d
e vi o me tal
mo ito i g
a d
t a spa e t
isk
assessme ts.
The
health
questio
is
mo e
complicated
tha
it
looks
Rado
is
a
ecog ised
lu g-ca ce
isk,
a d
phosphogypsum
ca
co tai
adium
that
p oduces
ado .
But
the
existe ce
of
adioactive
mate ial
ea
a
commu ity
does
ot
by
itself
establish
how
much
adiatio
o
ado
each
eside t
eceives,
o
does
it
p ove
that
a
pa ticula
ca ce
was
caused
by
the
stack.Ca ce
ca
have
ma y
causes,
exposu e
levels
diffe
betwee
i dividuals,
a d
some
diseases
ca
take
decades
to
develop.
Dete mi i g
whethe
a
i dust ial
site
has
caused
a
i c ease
i
ca ce
equi es
lo g-te m
epidemiological
esea ch
alo gside
eliable
exposu e
measu eme ts.That
disti ctio
is
impo ta t
because
eside ts’
co ce s
should
ot
be
dismissed,
but
eithe
should
a
pote tial
isk
be
p ese ted
as
a
p ove
outcome
fo
eve y
pe so
livi g
ea by.
Flo ida’s
phosphate
i dust y
faces
a
much
la ge
waste
p oblem
The
P og ess
Village
stack
is
pa t
of
a
much
wide
challe ge.
The
2025
Sustai ability
eview
oted
that
phosphogypsum
is
ge e ated
i
e o mous
qua tities
wo ldwide,
with
global
p oductio
exceedi g
200
millio
to es
a
yea
a d
billio s
of
to es
al eady
stockpiled.
O ly
a
elatively
small
p opo tio
is
cu e tly
eused,
leavi g
much
of
the
mate ial
i
lo g-te m
sto age.The
autho s
a gue
that
the
futu e
of
phosphogypsum
ma ageme t
could
i volve
a
shift
away
f om
simply
sto i g
the
mate ial
towa ds
ca efully
co t olled
euse.
Pote tial
applicatio s
i clude
co st uctio
mate ials,
ceme t,
plaste boa d,
ag icultu e
a d
la d
eclamatio ,
although
adioactive
compo e ts
a d
diffe e ces
i
chemical
compositio
mea
that
safety
a d
egulato y
co t ols
emai
esse tial.I
othe
wo ds,
the
challe ge
is
ot
simply
how
to
sto e
the
waste.
It
is
how
to
deal
with
billio s
of
to es
of
mate ial
without
t a sfe i g
e vi o me tal
isks
f om
o e
place
to
a othe .
A
commu ity
is
aski g
how
lo g
the
waste
ca
emai
pa t
of
its
la dscape
Fo
P og ess
Village,
the
issue
is
deeply
pe so al.
The
phosphogypsum
stack
is
ot
a
abst act
e vi o me tal
p oblem
located
fa
f om
homes.
It
sta ds
beside
a
commu ity
whose
eside ts
have
watched
i dust ial
developme t
eshape
the
la dscape
a ou d
them
fo
ge e atio s.
The
questio
ow
is
what
happe s
ext.St o ge
mo ito i g
of
ai ,
wate
a d
adiatio
levels
could
p ovide
eside ts
with
clea e
i fo matio
about
actual
exposu e.
Bette
eme ge cy
pla i g
could
add ess
the
isks
posed
by
hu ica es
a d
floodi g.
A d
esea ch
i to
safe
ways
of
ma agi g
o
eusi g
phosphogypsum
could
eve tually
educe
the
eed
fo
e o mous
waste
stacks.The
expe ie ce
of
P og ess
Village
illust ates
why
e vi o me tal
p otectio
is
also
a
issue
of
commu ity
t ust.
People
livi g
beside
i dust ial
waste
wa t
to
k ow
ot
o ly
what
is
sto ed
ext
doo ,
but
what
the
measu able
isks
a e,
how
those
isks
a e
bei g
co t olled
a d
who
will
be
espo sible
if
somethi g
goes
w o g.Fo
a
commu ity
that
has
spe t
decades
livi g
i
the
shadow
of
a
massive
waste
pile,
those
a swe s
matte
just
as
much
as
the
mou d
itself.
