Rockdale County Chemical Fire: What to do if you feel sick from the plume

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — As the cleanup continues at the Biolab factory in Rockdale County, a plume of smoke continues to come from the site and is expected to do so for some time.

County officials said that chlorines, chloramine and chlorine compounds were released into the air from the fire that destroyed the factory early Sunday morning.

Dr. Lynn Paxton, interim health director for the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale health district, said those chemicals can cause irritation of the skin and the mucus membranes, including the eyes and nasal passages and the respiratory system.

“People who already have respiratory conditions affecting these parts of the body may be more likely to develop symptoms from this exposure,” Paxton said during a news conference on Tuesday.

She had these recommendations for people being impacted by the plume:

• Stay indoors with closed windows and doors.
• Turn off any HVAC system that can pull in outdoor air.
• If you have an HVAC system that recirculates air, it is OK to leave on.

Paxton said she has been getting many calls and emails from people about whether N-95 masks will help filter out the chemicals. She said in this case, they will not.

“The reason for this is because the chlorine compounds are actually smaller than the size filtered by the N-95 mask,” Paxton said.

Paxton did want to emphasize that despite the chlorine smell, the level of chemicals being detected in the air is safe.

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“The levels of the chemicals reported today are below the levels that have previously been recognized to cause symptoms in most people,” Paxton said.

Paxton said anyone who develops emergency symptoms should seek emergency care from their primary care providers.

People with non-emergency symptoms can call the special hotline set up by the Georgia Poison Center to discuss what they should do at 404-856-6252.

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