The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced on September 30 that it is sending investigators to look into the major chemical fire that occurred on September 29 at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers, Ga.
The board said that 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.
“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,” said CSB Chairperson Steve Owens. “Tens of thousands of people have been put potentially at risk by this catastrophe.”
The CSB has investigated the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers before. In September 2020, the CSB investigated a chemical reaction and decomposition at the facility which released a plume of hazardous chemicals, including chlorine, that exposed Bio-Lab 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 Bio-Lab facility in Westlake, Louisiana, in August 2020 where 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.
Bio-Lab manufactures pool and spa chemicals containing trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA). TCCA is used throughout the country for pool care and, when put in large bodies of water such as a pool, breaks down slowly, releasing chlorine in the water. However, when TCCA comes into contact with small amounts of water and does not dissolve, it can undergo a chemical reaction that generates heat, causing the decomposition of TCCA, which produces toxic chlorine gas.
In April 2023, the CSB released a final investigation report that addressed the Bio-Lab Westlake facility, as well as the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers. Among the recommendations in the report, the CSB’s called on federal regulators to increase their oversight of hazards associated with reactive chemicals.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating incidents and hazards that result, or may result, in the catastrophic release of extremely hazardous substances. The agency’s core mission activities include conducting incident investigations; formulating preventive or mitigative recommendations based on investigation findings and advocating for their implementation; issuing reports containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations arising from incident investigations; and conducting studies on chemical hazards.
The agency's board members are appointed by the president subject to Senate confirmation. The Board does not issue citations or fines but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.