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Mosaic says fertilizer waste center's water went into Tampa Bay after Hurricane Milton

Mosaic Co said on Friday that water supporting the chemical company's storage of a. waste by-product from fertilizer production in Florida. probably made its method into Tampa Bay following a rainstorm from. Cyclone Milton.

The discharge of perhaps more than 17,500 gallons from. Mosaic's center in Riverview, a fast-growing Tampa residential area,. raised potential environmental concerns.

The industrial by-product, phosphogypsum, is known to. produce radon, a cancer-causing radioactive gas.

Mosaic said a storage system for water around a pile of. phosphogypsum became overwhelmed in Riverview. The site got. almost 15 inches of rain during Hurricane Milton less than two. weeks after Cyclone Helene, the business said in a declaration.

Water quality impacts in Tampa Bay are anticipated to be. modest, if any, Mosaic stated.

The company dealt with the overflow concern on Thursday and. it was not continuing on Friday, it stated in the declaration. We have actually been in consistent communication with regulators who are. onsite today.

The affected phosphogypsum stack is closed, suggesting the. company is not adding new product to it, Mosaic stated.

Phosphogypsum consists of radium, which decomposes to form. radon gas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated, noting. that radium and radon are radioactive and can cause cancer.

The EPA needs that phosphogypsum be managed in. crafted stacks or stacks to limit public exposure from radon. emissions.

The EPA informed Reuters the Florida Department of. Environmental Protection controls the style, building,. operation and maintenance of phosphogypsum stack systems and. they must continue to abide by all regulative requirements.

The Florida Department of Environmental Management had. no immediate comment.

Mosaic, which mines phosphate rock in Florida and. produces about three-quarters of The United States and Canada's phosphate. fertilizers, said it

idled Florida operations

in anticipation of Milton.

(source: Reuters)