Tel Aviv—Israel’s Health Ministry has come out strongly against developing a controversial phosphate field near the southern Israeli town of Arad. The ministry said that developing the mine would raise levels of radioactivity, as well as lead to higher air pollution in the region, which in turn would lead to higher illness and death rates. The office of the Israeli Prime Minister is lobbying for approval of the project. Israel Chemicals Ltd.’s (ICL) Rotem Amfert subsidiary is advancing the plan to develop the field as part of its long-term investment plan. Rotem Amfert is planning to operate the mine at the Barir field, located just 4 kilometers from Arad. Rotem Amfert is interested in developing the field because of the depletion of phosphate rock at other sites and the ease of mining phosphates at the proposed site. Although ICL has said that there is no health risk connected with mining at the Barir field, the company stressed that it would refrain from operations there if it turns out that an objective examination concludes there is a risk. ICL stressed that thousands of families in the region directly or indirectly make a living from the local phosphate industry. Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry has also come out strongly against plans to develop the mine.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain