Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson – both of Georgia – have launched a “bicameral push” to demand answers over what led to a massive chemical fire at a BioLab facility in Conyers.
The facility caught fire in late-September and potentially emitted plumes of chemicals through smoke in the air, according to officials. The incident also spurred Rockdale County to file a federal lawsuit against the company earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Warnock and Johnson penned a letter to Michael Sload, the CEO of BioLab’s parent company KIK Consumer Products. Together, the federal representatives urged responses to a series of questions regarding potential plans to address alleged “safety lapses” and possible preventative measures that could be taken in the future.
The two officials also pressed the company’s leadership on efforts to compensate local families affected by the blaze.
“We write with grave concern regarding BioLab’s September 29, 2024, fire at the company’s Conyers facility, the resulting chemical plume and debris, and the immediate and potential long-term effects on communities in Georgia,” the lawmakers wrote. “This fire is just one of BioLab’s safety violations, and BioLab cannot continue to put the Rockdale community in this position.”
Both legislators, who urged the company to “correct patterns of safety failures,” requested leadership to “respond in detail” to questions regarding BioLab’s prior “workplace violations,” insisting they work to “address any financial, health and potential environmental harms to the Rockdale County and metro Atlanta community.”
“While any fire of this magnitude is concerning, we are particularly alarmed that the September 2024 fire was the third major chemical event at BioLab’s Conyers facility in the past two decades,” Warnock and Johnson said in the letter. “In May 2004 and again in September 2020, chemical incidents at this exact facility caused residential evacuations and shut down U.S. Interstate 20 (I-20) – just as we saw on September 29. Chemical incidents are not the only failures to occur at BioLab.”
William Halliday, a spokesperson for BioLab, said the company has been working closely with the two lawmakers. He said the company is committed to recovery efforts following the incident.
“BioLab has had a productive dialogue to date with Senator Warnock and Representative Johnson, and we can confirm we have received their letter and look forward to continuing our engagement on these important topics,” Halliday said. “Our CEO had a constructive conversation with the Senator today and reiterated BioLab’s commitment to completing its onsite clean-up efforts in coordination with the relevant authorities, assisting residents and business owners impacted by the fire, continuing to provide timely updates and information to the community, and cooperating with regulators. Our leadership will continue to work with both the senator and representative, along with the other government officials with whom we have been in regular contact over the course of this situation.”
More than 90,000 residents of Conyers and surrounding communities were forced to shelter in place over the weekend as a result of the Sept. 29 chemical fire. Others in northern parts of Rockdale County had been ordered to evacuate.
