ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — The wife of a Rockdale County official who died suddenly last week after a meeting on the BioLab plume in Conyers has made a public plea for "patience" as well as privacy after her husband's death drew wide attention.
The death of Kenny Johnson, who was the Rockdale Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, has drawn national headlines and speculation about whether his death could in some way be tied to the chemical plume. A cause of death is still pending, as an autopsy needs to be completed.
The 62-year-old collapsed last Tuesday after the meeting at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, across from the Georgia Capitol, and he was rushed to Grady Hospital where he died. The Fulton County medical examiner said that due to the circumstances of the incident, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has agreed to accept the case.
In a brief video message posted Sunday, Johnson's wife, Dr. Shamita Johnson, said she was still "grappling with grief that is profound" after her husband's passing. She acknowledged there are "so many questions surrounding his sudden departure."
"While we grieve I ask for you to be patient and understanding and when the moment is right, we'll share more," she said. "But until then I ask that you please respect our privacy, as we mourn this unimaginable loss."
The plume has continued to emanate from the BioLab site in Conyers since a fire on Sunday, Sept. 29. The fire was put out that same day but a chemical reaction between sprinkler system water and what officials have described as pool shock - a pool and spa chlorination product - has continued to send the plume into the air.
The surrounding community has reported irritation symptoms in the number of a few hundred, according to the Georgia Department of Health, though DPH cautioned there have been very few serious symptomatic cases. Residents also reported ashy debris scattered across the area, schools and businesses have closed and gradually softening shelter-in-place orders have been ongoing. Those are now nightly from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. for a two-mile radius around the BioLab site.
The intensity of the fire caused the roof of the large facility to collapse and the walls to fall which trapped the chemicals underneath.
Biolab hasn’t confirmed all the materials that were being stored in the warehouse but stated:
“These raw materials include Trichlor (TCCA), a chemical commonly used to make Chlorinated Tablets to treat swimming pools to kill bacteria and algae, and Dichlor (DCCA), used to make swimming pool shock. Other raw materials stored are used to produce products for swimming pool and spa maintenance, such as water balance, pH control and water clarity.”
At the meeting last week, both Georgia House and Senate members from Rockdale and DeKalb, as well as members of the House Minority Caucus, were present to discuss the chemical fire at BioLab and the problems caused by the plume that continues to rise from the facility.
A representative from BioLab also attended and said they wanted to hear from residents and address their issues and, that those concerns would be given to senior management.
Residents, business owners and even DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox voiced their concerns one after the other.
"What about those of us that cannot move? We have to stay where we are, we have to protect. This is not a one time event," Sheriff Maddox said. "I understand people want pools, but they need to find somewhere else to put that plant and not in our community."