CONYERS, Ga. — Officials provided an update in Rockdale County on the chemical plume emanating from the BioLab facility site in Conyers where a fire on Sunday led to sprinkler water reacting with product made by the company for treating pools and spas.
We now know a little more about those reactions and the resulting plume after the news conference Tuesday.
What we learned about Conyers chemical plume
- What's actually reacting there on site? Rockdale Fire Chief Marian McDaniel described it as pool shock, which is used to chlorinate pools.
- What's in the pool shock? We don't fully know -- it's not clear if completely finished product was being stored on site in this instance or if it was just perhaps elements of the product. Basically, it's not as simple as looking at a BioLab product ingredient list.
- Well what generally is involved? Fire Chief McDaniel described it as "trichlor," which is a common pool term for the chemical component of these shock products. According to an Association of Pool & Spa Professionals fact sheet, it is also known as trichloroisocyanuric acid and is an "EPA-registered pesticide sold for use as a sanitizer for pools and spas." The association fact sheet adds: "Trichlor is sold in tablet, stick and granular forms. These forms provide several simple and convenient ways to chlorinate pools and spas continuously."
- So trichlor is what's in the air? It appears to be a major element of what the fire chief termed is "gassing off" into the air. That term means, as NASA puts it simply enough, "the release of chemicals from materials." In this case it appears the chemical being released is trichlor from the pool shock material.
- Is it toxic to be in the air? Dr. Lynn Paxton, the interim director of the Gwinnett-Newton-Rockdale public health district, said the levels recorded so far are "below levels previously recognized" to cause harsher symptoms or reactions. But there may be more severe reactions for people with respiratory issues or other conditions.
- There's no danger at all? Again, Dr. Paxton noted the air readings do not indicate levels of whatever is in the air reaching a dangerous level. This was also the case with readings in Gwinnett and Atlanta on Monday. The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals fact sheet on trichlor does note that if mishandled or improperly stored or contaminated, "trichlor products can become unstable and dangerous, as is the case in general with chlorinating agents," but officials maintain there isn't a current indication that whatever is happening in Conyers is reaching that level. You can check the EPA air monitoring site set up for Conyers yourself here.
- Is it toxic for the water? Kimbry Peek Sr., the Rockdale County water resources director, said they're running three samples a day and the samples are coming back with normal levels. He called the water safe to drink.
- How are they removing the product? Fire Chief McDaniel said they were originally going to remove the pallets holding the product directly, but found the "super sack" industrial bags they were contained in had disintegrated. Now she said they're having to use rolling containers to offload a little bit at a time, which she described as a "little slower process but much safer for the environment."
- So it will keep gassing off in the meantime? It appears so. The fire chief said this could continue for "however long it takes for that to clear out" and the gassing off going for "several days."