Krystel Boy fears for her health and that of her unborn daughter. Sandra Stephens-Jordan, 55, said her asthma has gotten much worse. Another resident said he went to the emergency room because his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.
Dozens of residents and advocates gathered at The Movement Church in Rockdale County on Tuesday night for a community forum to discuss their health and safety concerns stemming from the Sept. 29 fire at the BioLab plant and the ensuing toxic plume carrying chlorine. They heard from advocates focused on shutting down BioLab’s operations in Rockdale and others who were living in East Palestine, Ohio when a catastrophic train derailment unfolded there in February 2023.
Boy was about six months pregnant at the time of the BioLab blaze, and lives about four miles from the plant. She said there was no evacuation order for her area. But after her obstetrician expressed concern for the baby’s health, Boy left home and stayed for nine weeks in a hotel and Airbnb with her husband and dog, at a cost of about $6,500, she said.
The 33-year-old said her obstetrician had her get two extra ultrasounds and told her: “’We don’t know what these chemicals are going to do to you and the baby, and we don’t know what the water’s going to be like.’”
Boy’s due date is next Friday for her first child, a girl.
“Is the baby going to be OK?” asked Boy in an interview after the meeting. “I am just worried about cancer, her development. Is she going to come out with some issues down the road? I’m afraid of the unknown.”
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, more than 1,000 people who were exposed to smoke from the BioLab fire sought medical treatment at hospital emergency rooms or urgent care facilities. Most of them were adults with mild symptoms such as coughing, eye and nose irritation, sore throat and headaches, a department spokesperson said.
Many of those attending Tuesday’s forum, however, had deep-seated concerns about lasting health impacts.
Panelists shared with the crowd of about 75 people what they have learned from other corporate chemical disasters. One big piece of advice: Document everything.
“Write it down, take pictures, take video,” said Tamara Freeze, of East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a catastrophic train derailment and major chemical incident involving Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern.
Freeze added: “I’m not just talking about your symptoms or your family’s symptoms, but there’s something on your roof or in the yard, or your tree looks like it’s dying, or you don’t see frogs in your pond. You don’t see birds flying.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Freeze spoke at the forum along with Jami Wallace, president and founder of the Unity Council of East Palestine Train Derailment, and founder of the Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition, an international group of cities impacted by corporate chemical disasters.
Wallace and others told Rockdale residents that more research is needed on the health effects of exposure to multiple chemicals, and called for legislative change placing firmer restrictions on chemical manufacturers.
One panelist, Cheryl Garcia, apologized to the crowd for sounding hoarse. “Sorry,” she said, “this is my BioLab voice, not my normal voice.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Garcia, a retired nurse practitioner who lives seven miles from the BioLab facility, advised residents experiencing health problems to show their medical providers pictures of the toxic plume from the fire, so they will take them more seriously.
“Most of the health care providers have no idea about the severity of what happened,” Garcia said. “They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve seen a lot of people from Conyers from the BioLab fire,’ but until I showed them a picture of the plume — they went oh my God.”
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board continues to investigate the cause of the BioLab fire incident.
Meanwhile, more than 40 plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for lawsuits against BioLab and its Lawrenceville-based parent company, KIK Consumer Products. The blaze prompted the evacuation of more than 17,000 people and a shelter-in-place warning across Rockdale County, which has about 90,000 residents.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Rockdale County has brought a separate federal lawsuit against BioLab and related companies, alleging violations of the Clean Air Act, negligence and creation of a nuisance.
In a statement on Tuesday, BioLab said its top priorities are the health and safety of the communities in which they operate.
BioLab also noted that it has not resumed manufacturing operations and is cooperating with the Chemical Safety Board’s investigation.
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