CONYERS, Ga. — A chemical cloud continues to loom over Conyers following a fire at a BioLab facility on Sunday.
The most recent shelter-in-place guidance advises people to stay indoors at night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., when conditions are worse. This is to last through Friday. 11Alive Meteorologist Melissa Nord explains here why conditions are worse at night.
Georgia's Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA) overnight chlorine levels at the BioLab site where the plume is emanating from went above the "action level" at some points.
"Overnight, monitoring around the Bio Lab facility detected some exceedances above the action level for chlorine. Workers on site have continued to make progress in neutralizing the product. As the neutralization process continues, periodic increases in chlorine levels around the facility are expected," a release said.
An action level is, according to the EPA, "the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment actions or other requirements."
A shelter-in-place advisory was lifted Monday evening before the county changed course hours later early Tuesday morning and re-issued an advisory specifically for those who see the plume directly in their area, after increased reports of symptoms related to the chlorine smell and haze in the area.
"During certain times, due to weather and inversion in the evening, air quality readings may dip to concerning levels for those in direct exposure to the plume," Rockdale County said.
A Georgia Poison Center hotline has been set up at 404-856-6252 for anyone wishing to report symptoms such as nose, throat or eye irritation or difficulty breathing.
LIVE LOOK
Here is some other critical information:
- What we learned on Conyers plume from Tuesday morning news conference | Pool shock product is gassing off into the air: What that means
- Georgia Tech chemistry professor breaks down chemicals in the air over Conyers BioLab plant
- Rockdale chemical plume | Possible symptoms from exposure
- What direction is the plume going? The direction of the plume has changed several times with wind and weather conditions -- on Monday morning, for instance, it appeared to northward while Tuesday morning it was southward.
- Hotlines: For non-emergency situations, people are asked not to call 911. They are directed to the county EMA hotline at 770-278-8300 or the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at 770-278-8200.
- Newton County Schools: The district is planning to open with a two-hour delay on Wednesday, Oct. 2, after being closed Monday and Tuesday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for BioLab said representatives are "actively responding" to the situation. The spokesperson said employees "are accounted for with no injuries reported." BioLab said it has a team on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation.
"As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority," the statement read.
11Alive will provide additional updates throughout the day on the situation.
Latest updates | Wednesday, Oct. 2
12:20 p.m. | Georgia's Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA) issued some new information about the plume Wednesday afternoon.
It says overnight chlorine levels at the BioLab site where the plume is emanating from went above the "action level" at some points.
"Overnight, monitoring around the Bio Lab facility detected some exceedances above the action level for chlorine. Workers on site have continued to make progress in neutralizing the product. As the neutralization process continues, periodic increases in chlorine levels around the facility are expected," a release said.
This comes as GEMA also said "current weather models show the winds will begin to shift from the east to the west after sunset Wednesday." That would push it more toward the City of Atlanta.
"Smoke is predicted to settle towards the ground as it moves toward Atlanta. There is a high likelihood that people across Metro Atlanta will wake up on Thursday morning seeing haze and smelling chlorine," the release stated.
GEMA additionally says officials will have a device called a Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer on hand to monitor levels. It is described as a "self-contained mobile laboratory capable of real-time monitoring of outdoor air or emissions."
11:25 a.m. | Conyers says its city hall will reopen tomorrow at 8 a.m. They also note a City Council meeting is being conducted tonight at 6 p.m. at Cherokee Run Golf Club.
9:45 a.m. | We now have a live look, via a GDOT traffic cam, at the haze in Conyers continuing to come from the plume this morning. YouTube player higher in this story and below:
6:55 a.m. | Similar to the school district, Newton County government offices are opening later in the day, at 10 a.m., on Wednesday. Newton County is southeast of Rockdale.
6:45 a.m. | Several roads continue to be closed in Rockdale County:
- Old Covington Hwy. at Rockdale Industrial
- Kysor Crossing at Rockdale Industrial
- Old Covington Hwy. at Blacklawn
- Dogwood Drive at VWF
- Veterans Drive at VWF
5 a.m. | Officials have not released any new updates. Here is our latest report on the situation.
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Tuesday, Oct. 1
7:14 p.m. | Newton County School will open Wednesday, Oct. 2, with a two-hour delayed start for students and staff, officials said. There will be no breakfast service, but lunch and after-school programs will operate as normal. The district is monitoring conditions overnight, with contingencies for cancellation should conditions change dramatically.
5:04 p.m. | Rockdale officials have shared an updated list of road closures:
- Old Covington Hwy @ Rockdale Industrial
- Kysor Crossing @ Rockdale Industrial
- Old Covington Highway @ Blacklawn
- Dogwood Drive @ VFW
- Veterans Drive @VFW
4:28 p.m. | Rockdale government officials are recommending residents shelter in place from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. from tonight until Friday, Oct. 4, due to weather fluctuations, called "inversions," that they said would cause air quality readings to dip to "concerning levels" for those in direct exposure to the plume. During this period, officials recommend closing doors and windows and turning off HVAC systems if they draw air from outside.
Here is 11Alive meteorologist Melissa Nord explaining why the air quality diminishes at night: