[F31] PhosFate: Investigating Chemical Hazards, Community Exposures, and Health Risks from Phosphate Fertilizer Manufacturing

Description

PROJECT SUMMARY Phosphoric acid is a key precursor for phosphate fertilizers, which are essential to sustaining global agricultural productivity and food security. However, the production of just one ton of phosphoric acid generates approximately 5.2 tons of phosphogypsum waste, a byproduct that contains radioactive elements and other contaminants. This waste presents significant environmental challenges: under federal regulations, most phosphogypsum must be stored in engineered, open-air piles known as “stacks.” Communities surrounding these stacks have raised concerns as dust, runoff, and leachate can carry radionuclides and toxic metal(loid)s into the ambient air and water, potentially exposing people to these hazardous substances. While historical studies suggest elevated cancer risks in occupationally exposed workers and nearby residents, critical gaps remain in understanding which contaminants from these facilities enter the environment, the pathways by which they reach people, how exposure varies with sociodemographic characteristics, and whether proximity contributes to cancer risks. This research project will leverage multiple datasets to address two specific aims. Aim 1 will characterize environmental pollution and community demographics near phosphate fertilizer manufacturing facilities with phosphogypsum stacks over time, using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey, Census Bureau, and other sources. Aim 2 will assess cancer incidence and mortality outcomes in relation to residential proximity to the stacks among NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort participants. Analyses will be focused on three southeastern states, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina, where over 80% of phosphate fertilizer production in the U.S. is located. To enable this work, a comprehensive, multi-state database of stack locations and operational timelines has been developed by integrating information from environmental permitting records, satellite imagery, and historical maps. This novel resource improves exposure estimates by tracking changes in stack activity over time, allowing these changes to be combined with wind data to refine proximity-based assessments. The proposed research will be the first to systematically evaluate environments and communities surrounding phosphogypsum stacks and the first to quantify prospective cancer and mortality risks in exposed populations. The proposed training activities will take place at the University of South Florida's College of Public Health and will include advanced coursework and workshops in data visualization, geospatial analysis, environmental exposure assessment, scientific communication, and cancer epidemiology. Overall, this fellowship will provide critical evidence regarding health risks from industrial waste storage practices to inform public health actions, environmental policies, and responses to community concerns, while also supporting the development of scientific expe Istituzione: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA PI: Bianca Irimia Dowling Progetto: 1F31ES039089-01

Sectors

Source

Source: reporter.nih.gov