public nuisance, permanently shut down, and required to pay significant compensation for damages.

County officials say they don’t want to risk another potential environmental catastrophe from a company that has a long history of negligence.

“BioLab has had at least four instances of negligence in the 20 years that it has operated in this community,” said Rockdale County Commissioner Sherri Washington. “At this point, their risk to our community far outweighs any benefit that we could possibly glean from their operation in this county. We can no longer stand by and allow a corporation to continuously affect our current and future physical health, our mental health, and our overall quality of life.”

BioLab stated that it has taken steps to help residents and ease the impact of the incident, such as launching a 24/7 call center to help with claims and reimbursement requests; opening an in-person Community Assistance Center; and setting up a debris collection service.

BioLab’s first payments to residents impacted by the fire went out on October 15. People lined up all day outside the Community Assistance Center in Conyers waiting for hours. Many of those who got appointments left with checks to compensate them for issues caused by the fire.

A local news channel said that the minimum payout was $1,000, and the compensation varied based on the costs each person incurred.

Attorneys representing people in one of the class-action lawsuits said that Biolab representatives have promised not to force anyone to waive their rights to sue, but advised clients to be careful with what they sign.

In a virtual town hall meeting, a lawyer said, “We want to make sure everyone understands those rights so they don’t sign them away.”