The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is sending investigators to the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, where a major chemical fire occurred on Sept. 29. According to
news reports, as many as 17,000 people in the area evacuated due to the fire and 90,000 others east of Atlanta were advised to shelter in place due to the massive plume of dark smoke from the fire.
CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “We are sending investigators to the site to determine the cause of this dangerous incident and the safety gaps at the facility that allowed this huge fire to occur. Tens of thousands of people have been put potentially at risk by this catastrophe.”
The CSB also investigated the Conyers facility in September 2020. A chemical reaction and decomposition at the facility released a plume of hazardous chemicals, including chlorine, that exposed BioLab personnel and nine
firefighters to dangerous fumes. Surrounding businesses in the area were evacuated, and a portion of Interstate 20 near the facility was closed for six hours.
The CSB investigation of the Conyers facility was in conjunction with the agency’s investigation of a chemical release and fire at the BioLab facility in Westlake, Louisiana. In August 2020, a chemical reaction and decomposition
initiated a fire and released a large plume of hazardous gases, including toxic chlorine, into the air. A portion of nearby Interstate 10 was closed for over 28 hours, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding community there.
BioLab manufactures pool and spa chemicals containing trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA). TCCA is safe in large bodies of water, such as a pool. However, when it comes into contact with small amounts of water and doesn’t dissolve, it can undergo a chemical reaction that generates heat. This causes the decomposition of TCCA that releases toxic chlorine gas.
In April 2023, the CSB
released a final investigation report that addressed the BioLab facilities in Westlake, Louisiana and Conyers, Georgia. Among the report's recommendations, the CSB called on federal regulators to increase their oversight of hazards associated with reactive chemicals.
