Two months after the Conyers, Georgia, BioLab fire and toxic gas release, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has issued its first investigation update.
The update outlines the events surrounding the incident that forced the evacuation of 17,000 community members, caused 90,000 people to shelter in place, and closed multiple roads, including Interstate 20.
According to the report: “On September 29, 2024, at 5 a.m., a BioLab employee on fire watch in the Plant 12 storage warehouse heard what was reported as a popping sound, which they attributed to wet product. There were no visible flames at that time.
After an unsuccessful attempt to isolate the reacting product, the employee called the only other Bio-Lab employee on-site. At approximately 5:10 a.m., the employee called 9-1-1 due to the large hazardous plumes of toxic vapors inside the building. By 6:30 a.m., flames became visible above the area of the chemical reaction and were quickly extinguished in less than two hours.
Emergency responders began evacuations shortly before 12:30 p.m. on September 29, 2024, after a second larger fire broke out at Bio-Lab's Plant 12. This fire was reported extinguished by 4 p.m.”
The report states that the two employees who were present at the onset of the incident were part of a newly established fire watch crew, which BioLab had initiated two or three months prior to the incident after detecting strong odors from oxidizers in two storage buildings, one of which was Plant 12.
The establishment of a fire crew was a precaution to mitigate any potential product decomposition events. The employees’ responsibilities included identifying and managing hazards, detecting early signs of product decomposition or fire hazards, notifying site leadership of any observed leaks or other water intrusions, and contacting the thirdparty sprinkler company if a sprinkler head was leaking.
The chemicals stored at Plant 12 and involved in the reaction were super sacks of the common swimming pool sa n i t i z e r s trichloroisocyanuric acid (trichlor) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (dichlor).
These chemicals are oxidizers that “readily yield oxygen or other oxidizing gas or that readily react to promote or initiate combustion of combustible materials and that can, under some circumstances, undergo a vigorous self-sustained decomposition due to contamination or heat exposure,” the report states.
Super sacks of bromochloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4dione (BCDMH) were also stored at Plant 12, a chemical that upon decomposition can release bromine gas and hydrogen bromine, in addition to chlorine gas and hydrogen chloride.
In the days following the incident, the chemicals stored at Plant 12 continued to off-gas from September 30 to October 1, with chlorine and hydrogen chloride detected at concentrations above their respective Level 1 Acute Exposure Guideline Levels.
Maximum levels of chlorine gas detected during this time were 31.2 ppm, while hydrogen chloride was measured at 15.5 ppm.
Shelter in place notifications were issued nightly through October 16.
In related news, following the incident, a total of 18 class action lawsuits were filed by Conyers residents and business owners against BioLab and its parent company, KIK Custom Products.
A judge ordered the lawsuits to be consolidated and appointed 16 attorneys from separate firms in Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico as interim class counsel and committee members.
