Several members of the Georgia congressional delegation are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to more forcefully regulate the reactive chemicals at the heart of the Conyers BioLab crisis.
In a letter sent Wednesday to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, lawmakers say the agency must close a “regulatory gap” that has allowed the chemical linked to the Sept. 29 blaze that sent up a toxic plume over Conyers to avoid scrutiny that other toxic or flammable chemicals are subjected to under federal rules.
The chemical, known as trichloroisocyanuric acid or TCCA, was stored in a warehouse on the company’s property in Conyers. TCCA can have a volatile reaction when it comes into contact with water.
The effort to get the EPA’s attention is led by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, whose district includes Conyers. The other signatories, all Democrats, include U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock as well as U.S. Reps. Nikema Williams, David Scott and Lucy McBath.
“We are concerned that facilities like BioLab Conyers, which manufacture and/or store TCCA are improperly managing these substances,” the lawmakers wrote. “When not handled correctly, these chemicals can contaminate local air, water, and soil, posing severe public health risks which include respiratory issues, skin irritations, and long-term conditions like lung and heart disease.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In a statement on its website, under a community page set up to provide information about the fire and its aftermath, the company said it is committed to supporting the community and making things right.
“At BioLab, we take our role in the Conyers community very seriously, and we deeply regret the impact of the fire at our warehouse,” the statement said. “Our priority is remediating this situation with the health and safety of the community top of mind.”
The Congressional letter comes days after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article recounting a fire at a BioLab facility in Louisiana in 2020, where wind damage from Hurricane Laura allowed water to infiltrate the building and mingle with the water-reactive chemicals. In a 2023 report, federal investigators found BioLab’s fire protection system in Louisiana was “inadequate and largely nonfunctional” and raised the alarm about the dangers of TCCA to the EPA — a warning that ultimately went unheeded.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Board recommended the EPA include the reactive chemical under the Risk Management Program Rule, which puts facilities that house certain hazardous chemicals under greater scrutiny and would have required companies such as BioLab to create preparedness plans that inform first responders in case of an emergency, among other regulations. The CSB announced last week it was opening an investigation into the Conyers fire.
The letter also notes that rainwater seeping in from Hurricane Helene has “not been ruled out” as a cause of the fire.
The lawmakers say that including TCCA under the Risk Management Program Rule would “prompt federal and state agencies to develop more effective safety protocols and management strategies, ensuring stricter adherence to safety standards for facilities handling this chemical.”
The letter’s signatories are also asking for Regan to provide answers about several aspects of the Conyers fire, including what measures the EPA is implementing to prevent another fire; whether the agency has initiated any inspections or investigations into BioLab; and whether the agency is monitoring for soil and water contamination.
Johnson told the AJC last week that he would like to see BioLab barred from doing business in Conyers. He said that while it may have made sense for the plant to be located in Rockdale County when it first opened in 1973, the population growth surrounding the once-rural area is incompatible with the dangers the plant poses. Rockdale today has more than 90,000 residents.
“It is an intolerable situation for the manufacturing of toxic and hazardous chemicals at that plant to be taking place in today’s Rockdale County and today’s Atlanta metropolitan region,” Johnson said.
The BioLab facility caught fire Sept. 29, leading to an initial evacuation of Conyers and shelter-in-place orders for the rest of Rockdale County. A plume of smoke has continuously risen as the pool chemicals produced there reacted with water used to contain the blaze. Currently, those living within a 2-mile radius of the plant are advised to shelter-in-place nightly.
Schools in Rockdale have been moved to virtual learning this week and will continue that way until Oct. 18 because of safety concerns over the fire and its aftermath.
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