215 million gallons of radioactive water threaten drinking water in Florida
Officials waited 3 weeks to inform the public
By Anna Scanlon -
September 20, 2016
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Mulberry, Florida is now home to a giant sinkhole that has caused 215 million gallons of radioactive water to leak into the state’s supply of drinking water.
The contamination occurred when a sinkhole appeared at a phosphate fertilizer plant near Tampa, which damaged the stack where waste water was stored. This filtered into the state’s aquifer system, which supplies water to residents, making the water contain phosphogypsum. Phosphogypsum is classified as slightly radioactive and is a byproduct of the creation of fertilizer. This is due to the naturally-occurring uranium and radium in the phosphate ore. [1]
The contaminated water also flows into springs used for activities like snorkeling and swimming. [2]
Mosaic, the fertilizer company responsible for the contamination, has kept this sinkhole leak concealed for the better part of 3 weeks, leaving many residents wary when they state that there is no risk to the public. Mosaic claims that the water moves far too slowly to be a threat, however, many people aren’t buying the rhetoric.
https://www.intellihub.com/215-million-gallons-of-radioactive-water-threaten-drinking-water-in-florida/
