Atlanta residents warned they will wake up to hazy smog and chlorine smell after Biolab fire in Conyers
The Atlanta area will likely see haze and smell chlorine in the air after a fire at a chemical plant in Conyers.
The Atlanta area will likely see haze and smell chlorine in the air after a fire at a chemical plant in Conyers.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security warned that the metro area will see the fumes from Sundays fire due to a shift in the wind.
The current weather models show the winds will begin to shift from the east to the west after sunset Wednesday, the agency said.
Smoke is predicted to settle toward the ground as it moves toward Atlanta. There is a high likelihood that people across Metro Atlanta will wake up on Thursday morning seeing haze and smelling chlorine.
The agency added that the conditions should dissipate in the evening and that the air will not be toxic despite the smell and haze.
The Atlanta area will likely see haze and smell chlorine in the air after a fire at a chemical plant in Conyers. The above image was shared by a resident of Gwinnett County in the metro Atlanta area on Monday morning following reports of the smell and fog in the area
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security warned that the metro area will see the fumes from Sundays fire due to a shift in the wind. The fire was brought under control around 4 p.m. Sunday, officials said
Chlorine has a very low odor threshold, meaning you can smell it before it reaches a harmful level, they said.
While officials have repeatedly said the air is safe in the Atlanta area, a lawyer for 9/11 responders and survivors told DailyMail.com that authorities need to be extra careful when it comes to air purity.
We know that people exposed to chlorine gas are at risk of respiratory irritation and in some instances respiratory problems such as lung damage, Barasch said.
I hope that the EPA and other public health authorities have taken every precaution before assuring Rockdale County residents of the air’s safety.
As we know from experience - I myself have survived 9/11-related cancer - we need to exercise caution when toxins are released into the environment.
The health and indeed the lives of Georgia residents could depend on it.
On Tuesday, residents east of Atlanta were warned to take shelter where they were if shifting winds pushed the still-billowing chemical cloud from the chlorine factory fire over their neighborhood.
A shelter-in-place order had just ended Monday evening for Rockdale County, where the chemical fire sent a huge plume of orange and black smoke into the Georgia sky on Sunday.
People complained about a strong chemical smell and haze for many miles around the BioLab plant in Conyers, about 25 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
Later Tuesday, Rockdale County emergency officials extended the timeline, recommending that residents shelter in place from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night until Friday. They cited weather patterns in the evening and overnight hours, when air quality readings may dip to concerning levels for those in direct exposure to the plume.
The City of Atlanta said its firefighters continue to monitor the fallout, and urged anyone with nose, throat or eye irritation, or difficulty breathing, to call a Georgia Poison Center hotline.
The bioplant fire was brought under control around 4pm Sunday, officials said, but firefighters were still actively engaged Tuesday as the smoldering material kept sending up a plume of now grey-white smoke. The pollution constantly shifted, and with no strong prevailing wind to disperse it, smelly haze lingered across the Atlanta area.
A resident of Chamblee, 30 miles from Conyers, shared the above image on Monday
BioLab’s website says it is the swimming pool and spa water care division of Lawrenceville, Georgia-based KIK Consumer Products. Residents around the area expressed frustration that company officials in their public statements didn’t specify what products were burning.
Atlanta’s fire department said it was testing for the presence of chemicals including chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also has been monitoring, for chlorine and related compounds.
Federal officials are investigating what led to the fire and how it has been handled. The sprinkler system showered water onto water-reactive chemicals around 5am Sunday, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said. There were employees inside the plant, but no injuries were reported.
