--- title: "In Bid to Become a Comical Hellscape, Florida Considers Roads Paved With Radioactive Byproduct" description: "The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would allow new roads to be paved with a radioactive mining byproduct." date: "2023-05-26" modified: "2023-05-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/florida-radioactive-byproduct-roads" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "EPA" - "florida" - "radioactive" - "the digest" --- # In Bid to Become a Comical Hellscape, Florida Considers Roads Paved With Radioactive Byproduct ![The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would allow new roads to be paved with a radioactive mining byproduct.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Florida Man [Recycling radioactive waste]() is one thing, but this proposal from Florida lawmakers is, in classic Floridian fashion, taking things way too far. As [*CBS News* reports](), the Florida Senate has passed a bill that would allow new roads to be paved with a mining waste that is, [per the Environmental Protection Agency](), known to be "radioactive." The radioactive byproduct, known as phosphogypsum, is leftover from the mining of phosphate rock that's most commonly used to produce fertilizer. Phosphogypsum is known to contain small amounts of uranium and radium, which ultimately decays to radon — a "potentially cancer-causing, radioactive gas," an EPA spokesperson told *CBS*. The timing couldn't be worse for [chaotic]() presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who now faces the choice to sign the bill — a literally radioactive decision that could haunt him as the presidential race heats up. ## Road Warrior The new law is meant to reuse "recyclable materials" that, [according to the bill](), "contribute to problems of declining space in landfills." Phosphogypsum, however, does not end up in landfills because, as the EPA spokesperson told *CBS*, "Clean Air Act regulations require that phosphogypsum be managed in engineered stacks to limit public exposure from emissions of radon and other radionuclides in the material." Indeed, the [EPA has banned the use of phosphogypsum]() for construction projects for decades, though the spokesperson said that there are carve-outs for restricted use in agricultural settings, indoor research, and other government-approved use cases if the agency finds that it "is at least as protective of human health as placement in a stack." Proponents of a previous bill already failed to justify making use of the material [less than two years ago](). ## Tiny Cancer While it's unclear what direction the EPA will swing this time if DeSantis signs the bill, experts have said it's a horrendous idea that could put the public at risk. According to Ragan Whitlock, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity that spoke to *CBS*, the EPA "actually found numerous risks from the use of phosphogypsum in road construction that would expose the public, particularly road construction workers, to an unacceptably dangerous cancer risk." Then again, this is Florida after all, so we should probably hedge our expectations. **More on Florida:** *[Florida Man Has Been Living Underwater For Two-And-A-Half Months]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()