New Law Locks Down Radioactive Waste Rules: No More Phosphogypsum in Roads, Ever

The official title for this piece of legislation is the No Radioactive Roads Act of 2025, and it does exactly what it says on the tin: it puts a hard stop on using a radioactive waste material called phosphogypsum in public infrastructure, while also making it much harder to sneak it into other products.

The Ban That Sticks: Why You Don't Want Radioactive Roads

This bill starts by reinforcing a ban that’s been technically in place since 1992. The core issue revolves around phosphogypsum, a byproduct of fertilizer production. According to the findings (SEC. 2), this material contains radioactive elements like uranium and radium. When used in roads, these elements break down, creating radionuclides that significantly increase the risk of cancer and genetic damage, especially for the construction workers handling the material and the public driving over it.

Back in the day, the EPA calculated that simply stacking this stuff in piles created a lifetime cancer risk of 9.1 in 100,000 people. The bill essentially codifies that number as the absolute safety limit. Since the EPA has already determined that using phosphogypsum in roads can’t meet that safety standard, this law makes the ban permanent and explicit. For the average person, this means that the roads and infrastructure you drive on and work around will be shielded from a known carcinogen, protecting both public health and local water sources from radioactive leaching.

Closing the Loopholes: New Rules for Everything Else

Where this law really gets interesting is in Section 3, which deals with all the other potential uses for phosphogypsum—the ones that aren't already explicitly allowed or banned. Think of it as the EPA closing a potential regulatory loophole. If a company wants to use this material for something new, the EPA Administrator now has up to two years to create a final rule that sets up an iron-clad application process.

Under the new rules, any company applying for an unlisted use has to provide a mountain of detailed safety data. This isn't just a quick safety check; they have to prove, case-by-case, that the maximum individual cancer risk is not higher than that 9.1 in 100,000 limit (SEC. 3). They must detail every step they will take to minimize exposure for everyone involved: the factory workers, the utility workers, and the residents living near the finished product.

Crucially, applicants must also submit a comprehensive plan for monitoring water contamination. This includes estimating how much contaminated liquid (leachate) will drain from the material over its entire lifespan and assessing the environmental harm (ecotoxicity) it could cause to plants, aquatic life, and waterways. They must commit to quarterly checks of all nearby environments. If you live downstream from a facility that might use this material, this provision is your new shield against potential radioactive runoff.

Transparency is the New Standard

Perhaps the biggest win for the public in this bill is the transparency requirement. Any approval the EPA grants for these special uses, along with the results from all the required safety and water testing, must be posted publicly on the EPA website (SEC. 3). This is huge. It means that the public, journalists, and watchdog groups can easily verify that the required safety standards are actually being met, removing the possibility of quiet, backroom approvals for hazardous materials.

Overall, this bill strengthens the regulatory backbone around a known hazardous material. While it creates significant new hurdles for industries that might want to reuse phosphogypsum (making it more expensive and difficult for them), it dramatically increases protection for workers and the public. It’s a clear example of policy reinforcing safety standards and demanding public accountability before allowing radioactive waste into the supply chain.