On Sept. 29th, a pool and spa cleaning material storage warehouse, operated by company BioLab, caught fire, releasing chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine compounds into the air of Rockdale County. Residents of the Atlanta area were reported to have been able to smell chlorine in the air from as far as 25 miles away. Following the incident, Rockdale County Emergency Management evacuated nearly 17,000 people and issued a shelter-in-place order for residents which lasted from Sept. 29th to Oct. 7th.
While it seems that the worst effects of the chemical plume have been endured, BioLab has a history of safety violations at its plants. This particular facility in Rockdale has had many problems over the years – in September of 2020, I-20 was shut down and a shelter-in-place order was issued due to an incident at BioLab where chlorine vapor plumed into the air of Rockdale County. In 2016, a similar incident occurred, though without the need for shelter-in-place orders. In 2004, a chemical fire occurred which resulted in the evacuation of 500 Rockdale residents from their homes.
BioLab Conyers isn’t the only lab prone to these types of incidents. Just over three months ago, in July of this year, a BioLab plant in Westlake, Louisiana which contained many of the same chemicals stored at the plant in Conyers, caught fire, once again causing shelter-in-place orders and highway closures.
Sarah Ledford, an associate professor at Georgia State University’s geoscience department shared some of the concerns that come with incidents like this fire.
“The main concern across both air and water quality is that we have very little understanding of what the chemicals were that were burning,” said Ledford. “Without that information, it’s hard to understand human health impacts and impacts to water quality.”
On Oct. 3rd, local community and government leaders held a press conference where they aired grievances and advocated for the closure of the BioLab facility in Conyers. Atlanta city council candidate, Devin Barrington-Ward, began the event by highlighting the incident as an example of environmental racism, wherein the lack of regulation and corporate accountability, as well as the lack of transparency from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, has disproportionately affected black and brown communities in metro Atlanta.
Rep. Rhonda Taylor underlined some of the problems with the shelter-in-place and evacuation orders, stating that many of her constituents may not be able to afford hotel rooms and that local businesses have lost thousands of dollars. Rep. Dorene Carter suggested that a state of emergency be declared to open up funding in order to support communities affected by the fire.
There is much that is uncertain about the future of this incident. BioLab has since created a website and community assistance center for local residents and businesses to make claims for reimbursement for financial damages, as well as debris cleanup services. However, the full range of effects from this event is yet to be seen.
Many residents have questions about the long-term health effects of this type of chlorine exposure, as well as what other chemicals may have been stored at the facility. BioLab has stated that the chemicals trichloroisocyanuric acid and dichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA and DCCA) were some of the chemicals stored at the warehouse but has not provided a list of all chemicals stored or involved in the fire. Gov. Brian Kemp was asked what punitive measures may be taken against the plant and said that the EPD and EPA would handle any enforcement actions.
For information on shelter-in-place and health advisory updates, visit the Rockdale County government website at rockdalecountyga.gov/updates-on-bio-fire-9-29-24/.
