In the early morning hours of September 29, 2024, I watched the sky turn blood red. The eerie morning glow wasn't the result of a wildfire or a strange celestial anomaly; it was caused by the largest chemical plant explosion Conyers had ever seen.
As emergency vehicles sped down I‑20, residents loaded their cars with pets and suitcases, and tried to outrun the towering plume of smoke. But escaping the dense, acrid air, thick with the sharp stench of chlorine, was nearly impossible.
And for this predominantly Black and working-class community, it was a terrifying case of déjà vu where once again, their lives and health were being sacrificed for corporate profit.
The Human Cost of Toxic Air
The BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, a manufacturer of pool and spa chemicals, has exploded several times in recent years, but the disastrous effects of the September 2024 explosion stretched far beyond Rockdale County lines.
The most recent Biolab explosion was triggered by a fire on the facility's roof that caused a sprinkler system malfunction and drenched water-reactive chlorine compounds, triggering a violent chemical reaction. The toxic smoke released chlorine and hydrochloric acid into the air, blanketing Conyers and other parts of Metro Atlanta in highly dangerous and potentially deadly chemicals. According to reports, air quality monitors detected chlorine levels 22 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's emergency action threshold.
Roughly 17,000 Rockdale County residents were ordered to evacuate, while a shelter-in-place order issued for those living within a two-mile radius of Biolab impacted more than 90,000 others. In the days that followed, many people reported respiratory problems and severe skin rashes caused by chemical exposure. As a result, more than 29,000 people submitted claims through BioLab's compensation program before it closed at the end of 2024, while multiple law firms filed class-action lawsuits on behalf of affected residents, calling for corporate accountability and compensation.
Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel confirmed that the chain reaction could have been avoided with better hazard mitigation planning. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division fined BioLab just $61,000—an amount less than a rounding error for a multinational corporation—and a cruel insult to the residents still grappling with the fallout.
Dee Barnes, CEO of local manufacturer Evans Tool & Die, described the explosion's personal toll on her community:
"It was a lot on the people that lived here. A neighbor drove through here to go to the bank the day of the explosion. She just drove through and saw this fog. Her air conditioner was on so air was getting into her car which she didn't know was poisonous gas. She is still sick. Like literally is still completely covered in rashes. She's been to a lot of doctors and they're treating her. They said it looked like chlorine poisoning, but there was nothing they could really do."
Barnes also explained how the poisonous air disrupted day-to-day operations at her business:
"As far as our employees, we had to make our own decisions. Decisions of whether we're going to work or not because the [chlorine] cloud would be sitting in the air then one minute it would be gone. You couldn't smell anything in the air so I would bring my people back to work and if the cloud came then we would all run home."
A Pattern of Explosions, A Pattern of Neglect
BioLab has operated in Conyers for decades. The company's recent history reveals a pattern of negligence; it has repeatedly failed to comply with environmental regulations, including violations of the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Air, and the Clean Water Act. Over the past 20 years, BioLab has been involved in three major chemical incidents in the city that led to evacuations and heightened public health risks.
On May 25, 2004, a massive fire broke out in a warehouse storing over 12 million pounds of pool chemicals. The blaze forced evacuations within a 1.5-mile radius, shut down Interstate 20, and hospitalized 28 people. Insurance and legal settlements eventually exceeded $7 million.
A second incident occurred on September 14, 2020, when a hot water heater leak triggered the thermal decomposition of trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA). Though the chemical did not ignite, it released toxic fumes that hospitalized nine firefighters and caused over $1 million in damages. A follow-up fire broke out just days later when relocated chemicals combusted in a storage trailer. Each time, BioLab insisted the situation was under control. Each time, businesses and schools closed, and residents fell ill.
Pollution and Power in Georgia
Environmental advocates say BioLab's repeated failures aren't an isolated issue. It reflects a larger pattern of environmental racism and corporate impunity. In Georgia, industrial pollution is often concentrated in low-income, Black, or brown communities, leaving them disproportionately exposed to health hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) data shows that Rockdale County is home to over 600 industrial facilities, and approximately 63% of Conyers residents are Black. For decades, these residents have borne the brunt of unchecked pollution, inadequate regulation, and limited access to environmental safeguards.
"If you've got air pollution, water pollution in a county, it impacts everybody, but a lot of times brown and Black communities are more impacted because typically they're already in a situation where they have had to endure legacy pollution," said Kim Scott, executive director of the environmental group Georgia WAND.
Facing the magnitude of the BioLab crisis, Conyers residents organized town halls, protests, and campaigns demanding accountability from state and federal agencies. Grassroots organizations like Community Health Aligning Revitalization Resilience & Sustainability (CHARRS) and the Black Futurist Group joined forces with local activists to call for a full environmental impact assessment and the permanent shutdown of BioLab's facility. On October 3, 2024, lawmakers, residents, and environmental groups rallied at the Georgia State Capitol.
BioLab's repeated failures aren't an isolated issue. It reflects a larger pattern of environmental racism and corporate impunity.
"State leaders love to boast about how Georgia is number one as a place to do business in this country. But what does that mean when businesses of the day are poisoning the very people who live here?" said Devin Barrington-Ward, managing director of the Black Futurist Group.
In response to mounting pressure, Rockdale County filed a federal lawsuit against BioLab Inc., KIK International LLC, and KIK Consumer Products Inc., the company's parent corporations. "We can no longer stand by and allow a corporation to continuously affect our current and future physical health, our mental health and our overall quality of life," said Commissioner Sherri Washington during a press conference outside the courthouse.
Federal Climate Policy Rollbacks Set Back Progress
While local grassroots coalitions and the county government worked in coalition with residents for justice in the Biolab case, national policy changes have severely undercut environmental protections.
In early 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and repealed the Biden Administration's Justice40 Initiative, a program designed to allocate 40% of federal climate investments to underserved communities. The Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool, used to identify vulnerable neighborhoods like Conyers, was also dismantled.
These rollbacks make it harder for communities, especially poor and working-class communities in the South, to access funding, prove harm, or hold corporate polluters accountable in the event of environmental hazards and disasters.
A Future Worth Fighting For
In May 2025, BioLab announced it would cease manufacturing operations at the Conyers site.
"After taking steps to meet customer needs through alternative production, and in considering our future business needs carefully, we have made the difficult decision to not restart manufacturing at the Conyers plant," the company said in a statement.
The news marked a hard-won victory for environmental justice advocates who fought for years to shut the plant down. But the danger hasn't fully passed. The company continues to store hazardous chemicals at its distribution centers, meaning the threat of future chemical disasters remains, and the fight continues.
Today, environmental monitoring and federal oversight are ongoing, with continued testing of air, water, and soil in the surrounding area. A court order issued in November 2024 mandated the preservation of all relevant environmental evidence and consolidation of more than twenty lawsuits filed against BioLab. In addition, community health assessments are underway, as various agencies work to determine the long-term impacts of the chemical release on metro Atlanta communities.
Morehouse School of Medicine and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia launched the Post-Fire Public Health Recovery Project—a three-year study to track chronic illnesses, respiratory conditions, and cancer risks among exposed residents. The project is a partnership with Community Action NOW! (CAN) and aims to bring scientific rigor to a fight too often dismissed by corporate and political leaders.
National outlets like NPR have also begun covering the broader implications of chemical safety, corporate accountability, and environmental justice. A new state-sponsored podcast, "Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story," explores the events through personal testimony, expert interviews, and newly uncovered details.
The Fight for Environmental Justice Isn't Over
The Biolab catastrophe forces the question: What is the cost of clean air?
For some, it's rashes that won't heal. For others, it's chronic illness, business disruption, or the psychological toll of living near an unstable chemical stockpile. But Conyers residents are refusing to be seen as collateral damage.
The explosion in Conyers wasn't the only threat looming over the community. The region is now feeling the environmental strain of Georgia's rapidly expanding data center industry. These facilities, which require vast amounts of electricity and water, force the largely coal-dependent Georgia Power to burn more fossil fuels to meet demand. One such plant, located just miles from Conyers, emits mercury, arsenic, and carbon into the local air and water.
Through legal action, community organizing, and science-driven advocacy, Conyers is demanding more than just cleanup or containment. They're fighting for a future where environmental justice isn't just a buzzword, but the way they do business.