Before heading to work Monday, Matthew Todd checked out the official City of Atlanta account on the social media app X, looking for any updates or air-quality advisories following Sunday’s massive chemical fire 20 miles east in Conyers.
“I read about the fire, saw the pictures, of course, and immediately thought, well, that’s not that far away,” said Todd, who was concerned about Day 2 impacts following the fire at BioLab, a plant that treats pool and spa water.
The fire, which was caused by a malfunctioning sprinkler, resulted in an evacuation order for 17,000 people, a shelter-in-place advisory for all 90,000 residents of Rockdale County and several prominent road closures, including parts of I-20.
It also came with a massive plume of smoke — the result of a chemical reaction — that could be seen as far away as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and is expected to remain visible within the region for several days.
The potential health hazards initially scared Todd, so he checked online around 7:30 a.m. Monday for any advisories. There were none.
And so despite seeing a gray haze in the sky and the distinct smell of chlorine in the air, he hopped on his bike and made the 3-mile trek from his home in Kirkwood to his office in downtown Atlanta.
“I am very much one of those people where if I am told it’s safe or if I am told it’s not safe, I listen,” the 30-year-old said, explaining he figured silence meant it was OK. “If it was super important, they’d be telling me.”
Shortly after 9 a.m., Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens replied to a concerned resident’s tweet, stating the city was “aware” of the situation and that Atlanta Fire Rescue was going to test air quality. A little over an hour later, the city put out an official post reiterating Dickens’ earlier comments and noting that residents should stay inside with closed windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems.
While Todd was glad to see the city eventually release some sort of statement, it felt reactive, he said, and left many questions unanswered.
“This should have been monitored as a potential problem,” Todd said. “It just seems irresponsible to not be on top of an issue that could be impacting people. It’s not very future-looking.”
The confusion Monday — as officials and residents tried to better understand what exactly transpired in Rockdale County, and the full scope of the impact of the fire — had little consensus or clarity.
At a news conference later Monday afternoon, Dickens said the air quality testing found a small amount of chlorine in the air.
“It’s not at levels that exceed where humans can deal with it,” he said, still advising residents who are immunocompromised to stay indoors or wear a mask as a precaution.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency issued a public safety alert in metro Atlanta detailing a “local area emergency.” It was issued on behalf of the Environmental Protection Division and stated the EPA was monitoring the air quality for chlorine and related compounds.
A GEMA representative said the alert went out statewide, but it only affected anyone within a 50-mile radius of Rockdale.
Other official responses varied depending on which county or school district one found themselves in.
In Gwinnett, school officials canceled outdoor activities and took steps to prevent air from getting into buildings. The county released a statement saying the EPA had not picked up “anything of concern” on mobile monitors.
The DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency and DeKalb Fire Rescue also tested their air quality and said they would issue advisories should they become necessary.
There was less ambiguity about the potential harm in Rockdale, but continued uncertainty as the shelter-in-place was extended indefinitely. By Monday afternoon, all of the walls had been knocked down at the plant, but the chemical that caused the reaction still hadn’t been named.
Rockdale Chairman Oz Nesbitt said they were working with the county’s emergency management agency to determine if there are any additional chemicals or toxins in the plume. He said he understood the impact of the shelter order on local businesses and hoped to get them back open soon.
The chairman also expressed concerns with the continued incidents at the BioLab plant and said officials will be having a “different type of conversation with leadership and management.”
BioLab has had a series of fires and chemical releases at its facilities in Georgia and elsewhere, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of state and federal records shows. Sunday’s fire is at least the fourth significant fire or chemical release from the Conyers plant in the past 20 years, according to those records.
The company is part of Lawrenceville-based KIK Consumer Products, which has brands including Comet, Greased Lightning and Spic and Span. KIK acquired BioLab in 2013 to expand its pool and spa treatment business. BioLab has operated in Conyers since 1973, and incidents at the facility date back decades.
Jeremy Sarnat, an associate professor of environmental health at Emory University and part of a scientific committee that advises the EPA, said it’s hard to gauge the extent of the health risk posed by the chemical release without knowing which chemicals are present.
He recommended that people take precautions to limit their exposure.
“I’m on the Emory campus right now and I smell it and I see it,” he said Monday morning. “So it was a very, very potent chemical release, but it’s not something I am going to panic about. I’ll take precautions (like staying inside) where I can.”
Exposure to chlorine can cause burning of the eyes, nose and mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also lead to headaches, nausea and choking.
Sarnat said the health effects from an exposure to these chemicals will be strongly influenced by the dose received and a person’s individual health status.
The chemical fire comes on the heels of an already stressful and destructive week for Georgia residents who were navigating Hurricane Helene.
Clement Brown, who was staying at a Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Conyers on Sunday, was only in town after being forced to evacuate his home in Augusta. In the aftermath of the fire, he could see the smoke from his hotel, and said his face burned.
He didn’t know he would be trading in one disaster for another.
— Staff writers Kelly Yamanouchi, David Aaro, Savannah Sicurella, Helena Oliviero, Rosana Hughes and Jozsef Papp contributed to this article.
What is in the air?
The fire is a result of a chemical reaction at BioLab. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the air quality testing found a small amount of chlorine in the air. Rockdale Chairman Oz Nesbitt said they were working with the county’s emergency management agency to determine if there are any additional chemicals or toxins in the plume.
What are the potential health effects of the fire?
Exposure to chlorine can cause burning of the eyes, nose and mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also lead to headaches, nausea and choking.
Sarnat said the health effects from an exposure to these chemicals will be strongly influenced by the dose received and a person’s individual health status.
What precautions should be taken?
Officials recommended people take precautions — such as staying indoors — to limit exposure. Rockdale County officials advised residents to keep windows and doors shut, and to turn off air conditioning.
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