Lawmakers demand EPA regulate BioLab following chemical fire, chlorine plume

ATLANTA — Georgia U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson says that he and several other lawmakers from the Georgia Congressional delegation have sent a letter to the head of the EPA urging him to “enhance federal oversight of facilities that manufacture and/or store the hazardous chemical Trichloroisocyanuric Acid,” following the devastating fire that broke out at the BioLab facility in Rockdale County.

The facility, which went up in flames last month, produces pool and spa cleaning products.

As firefighters put out the flames at the plant, the water to put out the fire reacted with the chemicals inside the plant to produce a chemical plume that impacted the metro Atlanta area for days following the fire.

County officials said chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine compounds were released into the air from the fire.

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In the letter to the EPA, Johnson, along with U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, and Reps. David Scott, Lucy McBath and Nikema Williams, told the EPA administrator that “toxic substances continue to rise into the air from the smoldering ruins of the plant, with corporate and government officials being unable to offer a specific timetable as to when the danger will end.”

They are asking the EPA to include Trichloroisocyanuric Acid “on the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program.”

That program would then allow “federal and state agencies to develop more effective safety protocols and management strategies, ensuring stricter adherence to safety standards for facilities handling this chemical.”

“The gravity of this situation underscores the need for changes to the federal and state regulatory systems,” Johnson said.

The lawmakers ended their letter by saying, “We look forward to your prompt response and urge robust, decisive measures to address the serious environmental and safety concerns posed by incidents like this.”

Read the letter below:

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