POLK COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 On a small plot of land in Polk County, a company is hard at work studying a road crafted from radioactive materials.<\/p>\n
But is it something that local residents should be worried about?<\/p>\n
The company, dubbed \u201cThe Mosaic Company,\u201d told News 6 that the road is made using phosphogypsum (PG), a waste byproduct of processing phosphate ore into phosphoric acid, which itself is used in fertilizer.<\/p>\n
However, the EPA notes<\/a> that PG contains radium: a radioactive material that can potentially cause cancer. This radium can decay and form radon gas, which can cause lung cancer, though dried PG forms a crust <\/a>that usually prevents much of this radon from escaping.<\/p>\n [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it\u2019s FREE)<\/a> | PINIT! Share your photos<\/a>]<\/p>\n According to Mosaic, the road is constructed entirely on the company\u2019s property near Mulberry, and it uses a mix of PG and several other materials for its road base. For now, the road is only being used for testing, so it\u2019s not available to public traffic.<\/p>\n (Left) Location of the demonstration road at the Mosaic New Wales facility; (Right) Configuration of the 3,200-foot-long test road, which is set to feature alternating segments — some to contain the PG mix, and some without (University of Florida\/Environmental Protection Agency)<\/p>\n EPA officials reported that PG is only being used in the road base, covered in 4-inch-thick asphalt pavement.<\/p>\n A Mosaic spokeswoman explained that once construction finishes this fall, each section of the test road will be evaluated over the course of 18 months to determine what impacts it may have on the environment, as well as how effective PG works as a road base.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this period, we\u2019ll be working closely with and providing data to multiple regulatory agencies, including the EPA,\u201d she told News 6.<\/p>\n A model from the EPA showing the formulation of a two-lane test road project in Central Florida (Environmental Protection Agency)<\/p>\n The project was officially approved by the EPA last year after the agency determined that \u201cthe proposed use of phosphogypsum is as protective of human health as placement in a stack.\u201d<\/p>\n That approval came after weeks of public comment, the majority of which opposed the use of PG in public roads.<\/p>\n \u201cSome comments were critical of the current state of phosphogypsum management and regulation,\u201d EPA officials stated. \u201cThese comments were determined to be outside the scope of this action, which is limited to this small-scale pilot project on a private road.\u201d<\/p>\n Another model of the test road released by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)<\/p>\n But despite the pushback, researchers with the University of Florida said the project could help determine a new use for PG, potentially turning the waste material into a sustainable building block for future roadways.<\/p>\n