Phosphate rock of sedimentary origin contains on the average 0.01 % uranium. Since large tonnage of this rock is used annually to produce fertilizers, this represented an important potential source of uranium. Before the discovery of rich uranium deposits this source was developed on industrial scale. The production of phosphoric acid by sulfuric acid process is at present facing the problem of disposal of gypsum; about 1.5 tons of gypsum is produced per ton of rock processed. This material contains all the radium originally present in the rock which results from the radioactive decay of uranium. As a result, phospho-gypsum contains about 0.03 mg Ra/t or 30 pCi/g. The recovery of uranium from this source and the advantages of using nitric acid is discussed. The possibility of applying heap and vat leaching to phosphate rock is emphasized.