Georgia’s Chemical Plant Fire Spews Chlorine In The Air

According to air quality surveys conducted by state and federal officials, chlorine was identified as the substance that emanated from the plant.

Residents in Georgia were advised to stay indoors and shut their windows on Sept. 30 after a fire on Sept. 29 at a BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, caused a chemical reaction to release chlorine into the air.

According to CNN, 17,000 residents and businesses near the plant were told to evacuate in the aftermath of the fire, and a shelter-in-place advisory remains in place for approximately 90,000 residents of Rockdale County.

Conyers is about 30 miles outside of Atlanta. According to officials, the fire started on the plant’s roof before water from a malfunctioning sprinkler came into contact with a water-reactive chemical, creating a plume.

We will continue to seek guidance and updates from county and state health agencies as well as GEMA, EPD, EPA, and AFRD.
— Andre Dickens (@andreforatlanta) September 30, 2024

In Conyers, an Atlanta suburb, a BioLab chemical plant burns because of 40 years of de-regulation. In City of Atlanta, noxious chlorine fumes blanket the streets, irritating the throat, nose, eyes. West NC is underwater. Beirut under rubble. Nobody is coming to save us. pic.twitter.com/d9tVUV2xmJ
— Defend the Atlanta Forest/Stop Cop City (@defendATLforest) September 30, 2024

According to air quality surveys conducted by state and federal officials, chlorine was identified as the substance that emanated from the plant. This matches the description of some residents in the area who described a bleach or chemical smell in the air.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlorine exposure can be identified by a burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and mouth. It can also produce coughing, choking, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness.

Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett warned people to stay out of the area in a statement. “This is not the time to do any type of sightseeing. We are strongly encouraging everyone, no matter where you’re coming from, but especially Rockdale residents, to stay out of this area,” Levett said.

Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt stated that emergency agencies are being mobilized to respond. “All of our resources have been dispatched and deployed,” Nesbitt told CNN. “Every available agency, GEMA, FEMA, everyone is on deck here in Rockdale County. We’re managing this situation as we try to get it under control.”

The situation in Conyers and Rockdale County resembles a July 2024 report from WABE stating that Georgia Power was preparing to dump 33 million tons of coal ash in unlined pits of groundwater.

At the time, several Georgia environmental organizations urged the revocation of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s coal ash residuals program, which had been used to approve the dumping.

A petition filed in July 2024 on behalf of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, Altamaha Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, and the Sierra Club, among others, sets forth that state and federal environmental protection agencies are failing to protect the state’s water systems.

According to Frank Holleman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, “Georgia EPD has made it clear that it will not follow the law and protect Georgia’s clean water and communities from toxic coal ash pollution,” Holleman said. “EPA is charged with overseeing EPD’s program, and we need EPA to step in to protect Georgia’s rivers and neighborhoods because EPD will not.”