CONYERS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Newly uncovered state records document the extent of toxic exposure from a chemical fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers two years ago, an incident that forced thousands from their homes in Rockdale County.

The records, obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates, show dozens of people were at risk of serious injury or death from the exposure.

The chemical plume from the fire shut down roads, canceled school and closed businesses. Protests followed, with demonstrators chanting “Shut down BioLab.”

“We have a dangerous situation going on,” Rockdale County Soil and Water Department Supervisor Kenny Johnson said at the time of the fire.

Johnson testified days later at a state lawmakers’ hearing about the explosion, speaking through labored breathing. “Everybody in Rockdale County needs to go to the doctor and check out the blood for toxins,” he said, and referenced previous incidents at the site, including a fire in 2020.

“I ask for a federal criminal investigation,” he said. “This is not the first time. This is the second time. I’ve been asking for this.”

A dozen lawsuits filed

Johnson has since died, and his widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging negligence, ultrahazardous activity, and nuisance. “If it weren’t for [BioLab’s] release of toxic gases, vapors, and smoke, [he] would not have suffered respiratory distress and death,” the lawsuit alleges, and referenced Johnson and his family lived less than three miles away from the incident.

(Johnson’s widow declined to be interviewed for this report.)

The lawsuit is among at least a dozen filed against BioLab. Virginia Crawford is suing the company, too. Crawford recalled the panic that day, and said, “It was like a burning in my nose, and my eyes and my head started hurting.”

Infant hospitalized after exposure

Crawford’s son, Na Miko, was hospitalized at five months old - on the same day of the fire - with breathing issues. “They said they had to keep him because his oxygen level had gone down,” she said. The infant remained on breathing machines for a week.

Na Miko is now 2 years old and has been diagnosed with severe asthma, which Crawford believes is directly connected to the fire. Crawford said the condition limits his activity. When he exerts too much energy for too long, his mother provides him with a nebulizer.

“I’m very angry about it,” Crawford said. “It’s sad because my baby is suffering. He can’t even play with the other children without coughing. He loves to play. He loves to run.”

State records show exposure risk

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) deployed teams to monitor environmental effects in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

Internal state records obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates show after eight hours of exposure to chlorine released in the fire, “27 people [were] estimated to be exposed to hazard levels ... that could possibly result in at least severe injury. Of this group, 20 people may be exposed to hazard levels that could possibly result in death,” according to the records.

The records also show during the same eight-hour period, at least 59 people were subjected to hazardous effects from tar or ash released, known as soot. The EPD identified the hazard as “serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in people with cardiopulmonary disease and older adults; serious risk of respiratory effects,” according to the records.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board confirmed the fire and toxic gas release were triggered when water from a corroded, leaking sprinkler dripped onto reactive pool chemicals.

The federal report found previous inspections had already identified corroded sprinklers years prior but the facility only replaced some.

“They could have caught it before it happened,” Crawford said. “It should have been caught.”

Study finds toxins traveled 27 miles

Georgia Tech Earth and Atmospheric Sciences professor Greg Huey said he has been contacted by people who have chronic issues related to the fire. Huey researched the types of chemicals in the plume and how far the smoke traveled, publishing his conclusions in a study.

Huey’s study found high chlorine levels, which he said were expected because of the pool chemicals. Huey said he was surprised to find bromine also existed in high levels, compounds that are linked to cancer and breathing and skin issues.

Huey warned the chemicals could be lethal if exposure levels are high enough. “The take-home lesson is, if you have a complicated chemical mix coming out of this, you probably shouldn’t store millions of pounds of it in an urban area,” he said.

Huey’s study found the toxins traveled in significant levels as far as midtown Atlanta, 27 miles away.

Neighbors report health concerns

Jerry Knight, who lives in McDonough, 19 miles from the explosion, believes his wife’s rare cancerous brain tumor could be connected to the fire.

“Our lives were completely turned upside down,” Knight said. After recent removal of the tumor and treatments for months, he said his wife is now cancer free.

Knight’s social media posts about the fire drew attention, with neighbors sharing their own health concerns. Knight has compiled the information into a spreadsheet.

“The whole idea is to compile a proximity map for everybody in the area that’s been dealing with everything that’s been going on,” Knight said.

Emory University public health professor Stephanie Eick said directly connecting the fire to neighbors’ cancer diagnoses is difficult because cancers usually take decades to appear after chemical exposure.

Eick noted routine daily exposure to various chemicals makes it difficult to trace any specific health issue directly back to the BioLab fire. She also said health effects that can be seen or correlated relatively quickly are respiratory conditions.

“People should watch for respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis, as well as irritations like burning or watering eyes,” she said.

BioLab no longer operating in Conyers

BioLab operations in Conyers have ended, but Crawford said the effects remain. “Even though the factory is gone, the poison is still there,” she said.

“[We] completed the clean-up of the site affected by the fire and established resources dedicated to supporting area residents and business owners, consistent with our commitment to the health and safety of the communities where we operate,” BioLab said in a statement.

In addition to individual lawsuits, a class action lawsuit has also been filed in federal court. In the class action, neighbors don’t claim present physical injuries; instead, they claim an increased risk of future disease and are seeking a medical monitoring program funded by Biolab.

Biolab filed a motion to dismiss, arguing Georgia law does not permit that when a person doesn’t have present injuries. In August, the Supreme Court of Georgia declined to rule on the case, returning the case to federal court.

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