Conyers Chemical Plant Fire Results in Lawsuits Against BioLab Seeking Damages for Georgia Community Residents

A chemical plant fire in Conyers, Georgia over the weekend has already sparked multiple lawsuits, which seek damages for nearly 100,000 residents from the Rockdale County town, who may have been affected by widespread evacuations and toxic chemical exposures.

The fire began at around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, at a BioLab facility, and early investigations suggest that it occurred when a sprinkler malfunctioned, causing water to come into contact with a water-reactive chemical. This led to a massive column of smoke and contaminants being released into the community.

As a result of the incident, a nearby interstate was closed and about 17,000 nearby residents were evacuated, with more than 90,000 others told to “shelter-in-place.” It has also sparked at least six lawsuits filed in federal court in just a couple days.

Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted Monday, but the smell of chemical irritants had already spread to Atlanta, which is about 25 miles away from the facility. Investigators report that high levels of chlorine have been detected in the air and traced back to the fire. However, officials said that businesses could open safely on Tuesday.

Now, residents are looking for answers, and compensation from the facility’s owners, as well as assurances that it will not happen again.

In one of several lawsuits brought by local residents, Tonya Brown filed a complaint (PDF) indicating that she was forced to evacuate her home with no advance notice. In addition, she now worries about the long-term effects of the chemical exposure in her community.

“Massive walls of smoke, containing toxic chemicals such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen bromide and phosgene billowed throughout Rockdale County,” the lawsuit states. “These chemicals are incredibly caustic, and can cause severe, life-changing injuries with even short-term exposures.”

BioLab Conyers Chemical Plant Problems

Known as the Conyers facility, the plant has been active since 1973, and blends Trichloroisocyanuric Acide (TCCA) into finished products. This is a chlorinating agent that is used to sanitize swimming pools. TCCA contains chlorine, which is toxic, and breaks down violently when exposed to water, generating enough chemical heat to cause fires.

The lawsuit notes the Conyers facility stored hundreds of thousands of pounds of TCCA. Additionally, this is not the first time the facility has had problems.

Two explosions were reported at BioLab’s Conyers facility in 2020 when a water line leaked and came into contact with TCCA stored unpackaged on the floor. Those incidents also led to shut downs, evacuations, and more than $1 million in property damage.

Nine firefighters were hospitalized during those incidents due to toxic chemical inhalation.

After the latest incident, Long and other plaintiffs indicate they were exposed to toxic chemicals and suffered nasal irritation, light-headedness, fatigue, nausea and severe emotional distress.

The lawsuits seek class certification by all affected by the evacuations and chemical exposures, indicating that the abnormally dangerous state of the Conyers facility was a sign of negligence, willful and wanton conduct, trespass and private nuisance.