Chemical Safety Board Investigating Bio-Lab Chemical Fire

A major fire Sunday at the swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products, left many residents and businesses evacuated.

Kristen Kazarian, Managing Editor

October 1, 2024

2 Min Read
This is not the first time Bio-Lab has been investigated by the CSB.
Bio-Lab has been investigated previously at this and another facility. Davizro/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is sending investigators to the major chemical fire that occurred on September 29 at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers, GA. According to local news reports, as many as 17,000 people in the area evacuated due to the fire and 90,000 others east of Atlanta were advised to shelter in place due to the massive plume of dark smoke from the fire.

“We are sending investigators to the site to determine the cause of this dangerous incident and the safety gaps at the facility that allowed this huge fire to occur. Tens of thousands of people have been put potentially at risk by this catastrophe," said CSB Chairperson Steve Owens.

The CSB investigated the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers in September 2020, where a chemical reaction and decomposition at the facility released a plume of hazardous chemicals, including chlorine, that exposed Bio-Lab personnel and nine firefighters to dangerous fumes. Surrounding businesses in the area were evacuated, and a portion of Interstate 20 near the facility was closed for six hours.

Investigation of the Conyers facility was in conjunction with the agency’s investigation of a chemical release and fire at the Bio-Lab facility in Westlake, LA, in August 2020, where a chemical reaction and decomposition initiated a fire and released a large plume of hazardous gases, including toxic chlorine, into the air. A portion of nearby Interstate 10 was closed for more than 28 hours, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding community there.

Related:Chemical Plant Fire Leaves Plumes of Dark Gray Clouds in Sky

Bio-Lab manufactures pool and spa chemicals containing trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA). TCCA is used for pool care and, when put in large bodies of water such as a pool, breaks down slowly, releasing chlorine in the water. However, when TCCA comes into contact with small amounts of water and does not dissolve, it can undergo a chemical reaction that generates heat, causing the decomposition of TCCA, which produces toxic chlorine gas.

In April 2023, the CSB released a final investigation report that addressed the Bio-Lab Westlake facility, as well as the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers. Among the recommendations in the report, the CSB called on federal regulators to increase their oversight of hazards associated with reactive chemicals.

About the Author

Kristen Kazarian

Managing Editor

Kristen Kazarian has been a writer and editor for more than three decades. She has worked at several consumer magazines and B2B publications in the fields of food and beverage, packaging, processing, women's interest, local news, health and nutrition, fashion and beauty, automotive, and IT.

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