Class-action lawsuit filed against Georgia lab after fire released chemical plume into atmosphere

Source: Scripps News

Posted 7:45 PM, Oct 02, 2024


A class-action lawsuit has been filed against a Georgia chemical plant and its parent company, alleging their "negligent safety procedures" led to a fire and an ensuing plume of chemical smoke that has "upended the lives" of nearly 100,000 residents who now "fear for their health and the habitability of their neighborhoods."

On Sunday, a fire broke out on the roof of the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, triggering a malfunctioning sprinkler head and causing water to interact with a water-reactive chemical housed at the plant, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said. This sent a large cloud of dark smoke into the atmosphere that could be seen and even smelled for miles, with residents of both Rockdale County and neighboring communities reporting scents of strong chemicals and a heavy haze that's continued to create low visibility as far as Atlanta as of Wednesday.

Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for those who lived around the facility, and a shelter-in-place was set for Rockdale County, with Georgia officials "strongly" advising all businesses to be closed and residents to stay home with their windows and doors shut and air conditioning kept off as the Environmental Protection Agency conducted air quality tests. These tests later confirmed the presence of chlorine in the air from the plume.

In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, plaintiff Tonya Long and "thousands" of other class members said they were "forced" to evacuate their homes with "no advanced notice." It states Long is still evacuated and is now "scared of the long-term implications for her family" due to the chemical smoke, which she claims has led her and her relatives to have "significant nasal irritation, light-headedness, fatigue, nausea and severe emotional distress."

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-georgia-lab-after-fire-released-chemical-plume-into-atmosphere