Frequently Asked Questions

BioLab supplies swimming pool and spa water treatment products to customers globally.

BioLab’s Conyers facility produces swimming pool and spa water sanitization products. The building impacted in the incident was a warehouse that stored raw materials and components. Production and finished goods distribution facilities at the Conyers site are housed in separate buildings, which were not directly affected.

BioLab’s Conyers facility stores raw materials and packaging components to produce products that consumers use at their homes to clean swimming pools and spas. These raw materials include trichloroisocyanuric acid (“Trichlor” or TCCA), a chemical commonly used to make Chlorinated Tablets to treat swimming pools to control bacteria and algae, and dichloroisocyanuric acid (“Dichlor” or 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.

BioLab’s top priority is the community’s safety, and we worked diligently to successfully complete the emergency response operations as part of the Unified Command team led by the Rockdale Fire Department. Our focus now is on our ongoing remediation efforts to clean up the site. We recognize the importance of understanding what caused this incident, and intend to conduct a thorough review, collaborating closely with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), as it performs its review, as well as with other health and safety agencies.

We are grateful that no employee injuries were reported in connection with the incident at the site.

When the incident occurred, the first, most immediate priority was to extinguish the fire at the warehouse, which stored raw chemicals and components. The fire and the water used to extinguish it resulted in smoke emanating from the facility. Additionally, when the chemicals stored in our facility come into contact with water, they slowly release chlorine – as they are intended to do when sanitizing a swimming pool. This release, and the water that was needed to control it, contributed to the visible haze that was over our facility.

On October 17, the Unified Command announced the successful completion of emergency response operations after the EPA had recorded no air quality exceedances in the community in the preceding 72 hours.

Unified Command was established to coordinate the incident response. The group was led by the Rockdale County Fire Department and comprised representatives from U.S. EPA, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Rockdale County, and BioLab.

On October 17, the Unified Command announced the successful completion of emergency response operations at BioLab’s Conyers facility. With this phase completed, the Unified Command was disbanded, and BioLab has shifted its focus to ongoing remediation efforts to clean up the site under the continuing oversight of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

During the emergency response phase, which was successfully completed on October 17, BioLab worked diligently as part of the Unified Command and under the Rockdale Fire Department’s leadership to address the fire at our warehouse. To bolster these efforts, we brought in two specialist hazmat crews from Mississippi and Louisiana, two water management companies, and technical chemical specialists.

During this period, air quality was monitored at our Conyers site and in the community. The U.S. EPA took the lead in community air monitoring with our support and uploaded air monitoring data to its website. Rockdale County also routinely tested the drinking water and reported that Rockdale County’s drinking water remains safe.

Since the completion of the emergency response operations, air monitoring in the community and onsite has continued, with community monitoring led by one of our contractors and overseen by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and U.S. EPA. In addition, our debris removal service assisted community members with clearing fire debris from their private property and removed debris carried off-site by the wind from public areas and roads.

Our Executive Leadership Team was on-the-ground during the response and continues to engage directly with local representatives and stakeholders on how we can best support the community.

This was a complex process that required careful planning and execution to ensure worker and public safety, and was led by the Unified Command response team. The most immediate priority was to extinguish the fire at the warehouse, which stored raw chemicals and components. Once the fire was extinguished, we focused on neutralizing or securing the remaining reactive material in order to remove the source of chlorine releases.

We are grateful to the Unified Command team, first responders, and Rockdale County leadership, who worked tirelessly with BioLab and the technical specialists we deployed to get us to this next important stage of remediation, which will involve continued cleanup at the site.

With the emergency response phase concluded and the Unified Command disbanded, BioLab has shifted its focus to ongoing remediation efforts to clean up the site. Overseen by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, this will include offsite treatment, disposal, or recycling of remaining product and building debris at appropriately permitted facilities, remediation of the facility property and the adjacent stormwater retention basin, and continued air monitoring onsite and in the community.

Trichloroisocyanuric acid (“Trichlor” or TCCA) and dichloroisocyanuric acid (“Dichlor” or DCCA) are stored in supersacks, which are large, industrial grade bags. This has been the longstanding practice in the industry.

On October 17, the Unified Command announced the successful completion of emergency response operations at BioLab’s Conyers facility, and Rockdale County lifted the shelter-in-place order for the entire county. Before the shelter-in-place advisory was ended, U.S. EPA had reported 72 hours of no air quality exceedances at any location in the community.

It’s always best to refer to your local county officials – including updates from Rockdale County – and the EPA, who make public health and safety recommendations. If you are or have been experiencing any symptoms that concern you, we recommend that you reach out to a healthcare professional.

BioLab has established a number of initiatives to support the community:

• Our dedicated call center assists with evaluating and processing claims, as well as answering general questions. Area residents and business owners can call (678) 301-2359 to speak with a live representative, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
• Our local Community Assistance Center in Conyers was established to provide a central in-person location for area residents and business owners to directly access information and resources coordinated by BioLab. The final day to file a claim through an in-person appointment at the Community Assistance Center was December 21. The Center is closed from December 22 through January 5. It will reopen on January 6 to distribute checks for claims for which payments have been approved. Individuals and businesses can submit new claims by phone and by email until December 31, 2024 at 11:59PM ET.
• Our Community Liaison – who is a highly experienced BioLab employee and resident of Conyers – is on-the-ground engaging with residents and local businesses to answer questions and understand how BioLab can best support our community.
• Our debris removal service was made available to community members who wished to have fire debris cleared from their private property. Over the course of four weeks, this service removed debris from more than 130 properties, in addition to clearing debris carried off-site by the wind from public areas and roads.

We have made donations to local organizations to support their own efforts to assist area residents, as well as provided volunteers and other forms of assistance, and are continuing our efforts over the holiday season.

BioLab cares deeply about the community and will continue to partner with local organizations moving forward. Additional information can be found here.

Reflecting the steady decrease in the volume of incoming new claims, any remaining claims through BioLab’s community-assistance programs must be made by December 31, 2024 at 11:59PM ET. BioLab will no longer accept new claims after this date. All eligible claims that are initiated on or before this deadline will be processed as usual.

There are two ways for community members to file a claim.

Establish a claim through BioLab’s dedicated claims email

1. Email the following information to [email protected]

• Claimant’s name
• Address
• Phone number
• Items being claimed
• Amount of each claimed item
• Attach photos of supporting documentation

Additionally, if you are a business owner making a claim for loss of business profits, please also gather the following to help us document your claim:

• 2023 tax returns
• 3-6 months of profit and loss statements
• For losses related to contract jobs, a copy of the executed contract with job pricing and proof of cancellation

2. You will be contacted by an adjuster by phone to further discuss your claim further.

NOTE: Community members who file and process their claim by email can be assisted without contacting BioLab’s call center.

Establish a claim through BioLab’s Call Center

1. Call BioLab’s 24/7 hotline at (678) 301-2359.
2. Establish your claim with the claims line staff.
3. Obtain your claim reference number.
4. You will be contacted by an adjuster to review and discuss your claim further.

The final day to file a claim through an in-person appointment at the Community Assistance Center was December 21. The Center is closed from December 22 through January 5. It will reopen on January 6 to distribute checks for claims for which payments have been approved. Community members with approved payments should only report to the Center when they are notified by their adjuster that their check is ready for pickup.

Residents and business owners that receive standard financial assistance from the Company will not be asked to release any claims they may have against BioLab or its affiliates arising from the fire. If residents or businesses have any questions related to litigation, they should speak with a lawyer.

Key contact information can be found here.