{"id":36988,"date":"2024-11-14T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T05:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=36988"},"modified":"2024-11-14T10:00:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T15:00:04","slug":"health-and-environmental-threats-associated-with-petrochemical-fertilizers-spotlighted-by-weaknesses-during-hurricane-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2024\/11\/health-and-environmental-threats-associated-with-petrochemical-fertilizers-spotlighted-by-weaknesses-during-hurricane-milton\/","title":{"rendered":"Health and Environmental Threats from Petrochemical Fertilizers; Weaknesses During Hurricane Milton Spotlighted"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, November 14, 2024) The destructive impact of Hurricane Milton, a climate-change-fueled extreme weather event that smashed into Florida in early October, led to the temporary closure of all phosphate mining facilities, integral to petrochemical fertilizer production, in the state after reported wastewater spillage, according to reporting by Tampa Bay Times<\/em><\/a>. The Mosaic Company, the largest phosphate mining company in Florida, reported at least 17,500 gallons of wastewater from one of their processing plants leaked into Tampa Bay (\u201cThe Bay\u201d), according to a company press release<\/a>. It is unclear to local communities if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will permit the company\u2019s request earlier this year to test 1,200 tons of phosphogypsum, an industrial byproduct of phosphate rock mining, as a potential material in roadways<\/a>. Local advocates find this alarming given a reported tear<\/a> in a gypsum stack operated by Mosaic in one of its plants in New Wales. The wastewater was used as a storage medium for phosphogypsum, which when dissolved contains cancer-causing radon, according to reporting by Reuters<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Besides phosphate waste leakage, over 30 waterways across Tampa Bay were polluted after back-to-back hurricanes (Tropical Storm Debby in August, Hurricane Helene in September, and Hurricane Milton in October), leading to \u201can estimated 68 million gallons of spilled pollution has been reported so far across seven counties, a number that is likely a vast undercount and sure to rise as wastewater managers learn more about how facilities fared,\u201d according to a separate Tampa Bay Times<\/em><\/a> analysis.<\/p>\n

As extreme weather events occur with higher frequency and severity due to the climate emergency, frontline communities are increasingly concerned about the potential for worsening toxic spills from existing and planned petrochemical infrastructure, particularly in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico regions, but also nationwide. Advocates prefer a wholesale transition to organic land policies and practices, rather than continuing to invest in infrastructure (e.g., carbon capture and storage\/carbon credits<\/a>, phosphate mines) framed by industry as climate solutions.<\/p>\n

Florida Phosphate Mines<\/u><\/p>\n

Florida<\/a> is the hub of domestic phosphate production. In 2017, the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCAMP) initiative through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published a historical, geospatial analysis of the legacy of phosphate production in the state going back to the 1880s. (See here<\/a> for the full report.)<\/p>\n

Four of the nation\u2019s nine currently operating plants are located in the Sunshine State, according to a Mineral Commodities Summary for phosphate<\/a> conducted by USGS and published in January 2024. \u201cMore than 95% of the phosphate rock mined in the United States was used to manufacture wet-process phosphoric acid and super phosphoric acid, which were used as intermediate feedstocks in the manufacture of granular and liquid ammonium phosphate fertilizers and animal feed supplements,\u201d according to the report. Phosphate rock is also produced in Idaho<\/a>, North Carolina<\/a>, and Utah<\/a>. While the report is technically correct that \u201cthere are no [elemental] substitutes for phosphorus in agriculture,\u201d organic and agroecological farmers point to the availability of phosphorus-containing substances compatible with national organic standards (e.g., liquid fish products and squid byproducts containing phosphoric acid), as well as manure and compost.<\/p>\n

Phosphate facilities, both active and retired, pose demonstrable environmental and public health impacts. In 2021, over 200 million gallons of contaminated wastewater was pumped into Tampa Bay from the retired Piney Point phosphate plant in Manatee County. In a previous Daily News, <\/em>Beyond Pesticides covered the immediate aftermath of this crisis. (See here<\/a>.) The phosphogypsum stacks at Piney Point storage \u201cpond\u201d contain uranium and its decay products, such as the isotope radium-226 (which has a half-life of 1,600 years and decays into radon); these are highly radioactive elements. The stacks also contain toxic elements, such as lead and arsenic. In the Piney Point incident, the concern\u2014beyond the potential tsunami of wastewater had the holding pond been breached\u2014was that the stacks might then collapse and send radioactive waste in the flood waters. The plant was built in 1966 to process phosphate rock into synthetic fertilizer, and for decades there was a pattern of mismanagement resulting in the release of polluted wastewater into The Bay. (See here<\/a> for a timeline developed by Tampa radio station WUSF.)<\/p>\n

Petrochemical Infrastructure and Permissible Harms<\/u><\/p>\n

There are extensive analyses and documentation of the existing and projected impacts of petrochemical infrastructure on ecological and public health.<\/p>\n

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) released a report earlier this year, The U.S. Petrochemical Buildout: America\u2019s Next Big Climate Mistake<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>outlining the greenhouse gas emissions impacts of petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer sectors. According to CIEL analysis, \u201cplanned petrochemical projects across the US could add a staggering 153.8 million metric tonnes of CO\u2082 equivalent (CO\u2082e) emissions annually. This is equal to the emissions of nearly 40 coal power plants or all US domestic commercial aviation emissions.\u201d The development of these planned projects will exacerbate existing inequalities for frontline communities in Louisiana’s \u201cCancer Alley,\u201d as well as Gulf South and Ohio River Valley communities who have faced decades of toxic exposure to the fossil fuel supply chain.<\/p>\n

According to the website<\/a> of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the leading petrochemical trade association in the U.S., there are 311 petrochemical facilities in the United States. Additionally, AFPM describes U.S. refineries and petrochemical facilities as \u201camong the most technologically advanced and efficient in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Publicly available data paints a different picture. The U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) releases reports on national pipeline performance measures<\/a> and tracks various leaks from fossil fuel infrastructure, including crude oil, refined petroleum, and biofuel pipelines. According to most recently published DOT data, there have been approximately:<\/p>\n