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Amid the devastation and widespread flooding caused by Hurricane Helen, another disaster struck the Atlanta metropolitan area: A chemical fire released a huge plume of potentially toxic gases into the air. And it’s spreading.
The fire broke out early Sunday morning BiolabIn Conyer, just 30 miles east of Atlanta in Rockdale County, is a chemical plant specializing in pool and spa water care. The cause of the fire is unknown as of publication, however Local fire department officials states that the water in the triggered sprinkler system reacted with various chemicals in the building.
around 11 Sunday am ET, officials requested that all church services be closed. By 11 a.m., several local roads were closed, and by 1 p.m. officials ordered About 17,000 people were evacuated to ConyareSince the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection conduct air quality testing, they detected Chlorine around the facility. Chlorine a poisonous gas which can have negative short-term and long-term health effects. Around noon, while first responders were putting out the initial fire and removing products from the facility, the fire reignited.
“We are all focused on remedying the situation as quickly as possible,” the company said in its most recent statement statement.
Officials then instituted a shelter-in-place order Sunday evening For Rockdale County, which consists of about 90,000 people. Fulton County, which includes parts of Atlanta Report This morning “a fog and a strong chemical smell”, which local officials stated Probably because of the BioLab fire.
Although acute exposure to chlorine gas has several causes SymptomsAlong with coughing, eye and nose irritation, skin irritation, and a burning sensation in the chest, several organizations say that chlorine in the air is not a threat to most people. At the time of publication, health agencies have not identified any specific high-risk populations such as those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.
All of this comes after the devastation of Hurricane Helen, cutting off resources and communications from local officials. It’s an alarming glimpse of what can happen when multiple disasters strike simultaneously, and it highlights the need for better preparedness in such cases.
Delay in official communication
A shelter-in-place order remains in effect in Rockdale County. Officials advised local residents to keep their windows and doors closed and AC off, possibly to prevent toxic gases from entering. All Rockdale County government facilities are closed, as are several roads in the area. County officials advised businesses to continue their operations off Until the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
On its Facebook page, the county posted a video Showing post-fire conditions. According to County Fire Rescue Chief Marian McDaniel, the front, left and right sides of the plant were “completely collapsed.” He said that once they remove the debris from the fire, they will bring the remainder down and recover the remaining “product” from the wreckage of the facility.
“There is nothing we can do or will do to make this product any worse than it is,” McDaniel told the press. Clouds and fumes should go away after removing residual chemicals from the building.
But as the gas dissipates, which could take days, it’s also making its way to other parts of Georgia — cities and towns may not have clear instructions on what to do. This is on top of dealing with Helen’s fall.
Georgia Emergency Services and the Homeland Security Agency issued A local area emergency was declared Monday afternoon for residents living within a 50-mile radius of the Biolab fire, a full day later. At that point, thousands of residents in nearby Fulton and Gwinnett counties had already left their homes to go to school, work, doctor’s appointments and more, unsure why the air smelled next to a swimming pool.
The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department conducted air quality tests Monday afternoon to detect chlorine and other chemicals in the air across the city. they are said They found “no immediate life safety issues,” but did not provide more information about chlorine levels. They have requested additional testing from state and federal agencies.
The Georgia Department of Public Health did has been added that so far “no significant toxicity has been detected in the smoke”, but people with heart or lung disease may be particularly affected and may experience symptoms such as shortness of breath.
What next?
While the immediate focus is on cleaning up the damaged facility, there are still many unanswered questions about how the Biolab fire will affect neighboring communities in the future.
Currently, there is no public information on how much chlorine has escaped into the air or what levels local residents are being exposed to.
long term disclosure Chlorine can cause long-term health problems such as potentially irreversible lung damage. Even one-time exposure to high levels of chlorine can have negative health effects, further pressing the question of how much is currently in the air over Georgia.
This isn’t the first fire at Conyers’ biolab plant — at least that’s what happened Three in the last two decades. The last fire occurred just four years ago. This raises questions of accountability, whether the plant meaningfully did anything to prevent these disasters, and the impact of repeated chemical fires and leaks on communities.
It is also too early to say what liability Biolab will face after this fire. According to Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionOz Nesbitt, chairman of Rockdale County’s governing body, said the board of commissioners will talk with BioLab’s leadership about “their safety and their mitigation plans and their safety plans within their operations.”
Although multiple agencies responding to the incident assured residents that the fire posed little harm to human health, many residents were displeased and expressed their opinions on Rockdale County’s Facebook page. anxiety and depression About uncertainty.
“Who’s going to jail for this?” A commenter wrote. “Just asking, how many people will be injured and how much damage to the local environment? This facility is a known problem, and has been for many years.”
