Driving through central Florida, it’s hard to miss the stark mountains rising above the flat landscape. These are not natural hills, but “gypstacks," massive mounds of radioactive waste left behind by phosphate mining. They stand as monuments to an industry that powers agriculture across the globe, but at a tremendous cost to Florida’s environment, communities, and health.
Florida’s Phosphate Industry
Florida produces about 75% of the phosphate used in the United States and is home to 27 active phosphate mines spanning more than 450,000 acres. Phosphate is a key ingredient in fertilizer, essential for industrial farming. But the extraction and processing of phosphate rock also produces staggering amounts of hazardous byproducts.
One of those byproducts is hydrofluorosilicic acid, sold to local governments to fluoridate public drinking water. Unlike pharmaceutical-grade fluoride in toothpaste, this substance is an industrial waste captured in scrubbers during fertilizer production and then shipped off for municipal use.
Gypstacks: Mountains of Radioactive Waste
Phosphate processing leaves behind an enormous volume of waste known as phosphogypsum. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prohibits burying this material because it contains radioactive elements, including uranium, radium, and thorium. Instead, it is piled into massive gypstacks—some rising hundreds of feet tall and covering thousands of acres.
- Florida alone holds more than one billion tons of phosphogypsum waste.
- These stacks leach radon gas, an invisible radioactive gas linked to lung cancer.
- Heavy metals including lead and cadmium can seep into groundwater and surface water.
In 2021, the state saw a high-profile environmental crisis when a breach at the Piney Point gypstack threatened to flood nearby communities with contaminated wastewater. The incident forced evacuations and dumped millions of gallons of polluted water into Tampa Bay, triggering fish kills and algae blooms.
Human Health Risks
The dangers are not theoretical. In 2017, central Florida homeowners discovered their properties had been built on top of old mining sites. Tests revealed gamma radiation levels high enough to raise lifetime cancer risks. Uranium decay within these deposits releases radon, which can accumulate in homes and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
The combination of heavy metals and radioactive decay products has been linked to a variety of health risks:
- Lymphomas, leukemias, and bone cancers from gamma radiation exposure.
- Respiratory illness from radon inhalation.
- Neurological and developmental impacts in children exposed to heavy metals like lead.
Ecological Fallout
Phosphate mining doesn’t just threaten people—it reshapes entire ecosystems. Mining operations strip away topsoil and destroy wetlands, leaving behind barren landscapes. Water pumped from aquifers to process phosphate depletes groundwater supplies, contributing to sinkholes and saltwater intrusion.
Wastewater discharges into rivers and estuaries create nutrient pollution, fueling toxic algal blooms and “dead zones” that suffocate fish and wildlife. Once-rich habitats like the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor have been degraded by decades of mining runoff.
The Regulatory Gaps
While phosphate is central to global agriculture, its waste management remains poorly regulated. The EPA classifies phosphogypsum as too hazardous for landfills, yet permits its storage in open-air stacks vulnerable to leaks and collapse. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection oversees permitting and cleanup, but critics say state regulators are too closely tied to the industry.
Meanwhile, industry lobbyists emphasize phosphate’s role in food production while downplaying the radioactive and toxic burden left behind in Florida communities.
Looking Ahead: What Can Be Done
The challenges are massive, but solutions exist:
- Stricter waste regulations – Closing loopholes that allow hazardous gypstacks to accumulate without long-term safeguards.
- Stronger water protections – Limiting discharges into aquifers and surface waters.
- Investment in remediation – Funding cleanup of contaminated lands and relocation of waste.
- Alternative fertilizers – Researching and scaling up non-toxic, sustainable sources of phosphorus.
- Community advocacy – Citizens pushing for transparency, testing, and accountability.
For now, Floridians live alongside towering toxic monuments, reminders that the cost of industrial agriculture is borne not just at the checkout line—but in their water, air, and health.
Sources
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP): Phosphate Mining
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Phosphogypsum Management and Waste Rules
- ProPublica: Florida’s Toxic Gypstacks and Radioactive Waste
- Science Direct: Heavy Metal Pollution from Phosphate Rock
- Science Direct: Environmental Impact of the Phosphate Industry
- Lanier Law: Florida Phosphate Contamination
- Tampa Bay Times: Piney Point Wastewater Crisis