EvilCorporations.com · Corporate Accountability Project · Chemical Industry
Bio-Lab, Inc. · KIK Consumer Products · Conyers, Georgia · 2024
Bio-Lab Poisoned Conyers, Georgia and Did It Before
A swimming pool chemical manufacturer with four toxic incidents at the same facility poisoned 77,000 Georgia residents with chlorine fumes. Their response: no adequate fire suppression, no meaningful upgrade, no accountability.
🔴 CRITICAL SEVERITY
TL;DR
Bio-Lab, Inc., a subsidiary of Canadian giant KIK Consumer Products, has operated a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia since 1973. On September 29, 2024, the plant caught fire and released a massive toxic chlorine plume visible from 30 miles away. More than 77,000 residents were ordered to shelter in place, over 17,000 were evacuated, a hospital diverted emergency patients, schools closed across two counties, and ash and chlorine-laden debris settled on homes and neighborhoods. This was not a freak accident. It was the fourth major chemical incident at the same facility since 2004, each one foreseeable, each one preventable, and each one followed by inadequate safety reform. A class action lawsuit filed September 30, 2024, charges Bio-Lab and KIK with negligence, nuisance, and trespass against tens of thousands of Georgia property owners.
Demand that Bio-Lab and KIK face full accountability. No settlement without real safety reform, independent monitoring, and total remediation.
77K+
Residents under shelter-in-place order
17K
Residents evacuated from their homes
4
Major toxic incidents at same facility since 2004
30 mi
Distance from which toxic plume was visible
12x
Chlorine above federal exposure limit in 2020 incident
$7M
Settlement paid after the 2004 fire alone
⚠️ The Allegations: A Breakdown
Core Allegations
What they did · 6 points
▾
| 01 | On September 29, 2024, a fire ignited at Bio-Lab’s Conyers, Georgia chemical plant, triggering a malfunctioning sprinkler that sprayed water onto water-reactive chlorine chemicals and created an enormous toxic plume visible from 30 miles away. | high |
| 02 | Bio-Lab did not possess an adequate fire protection system capable of extinguishing fires at its facility without triggering dangerous chemical reactions with water-reactive materials stored on site. | high |
| 03 | The fire caused a complete structural collapse of the Conyers Plant building, with the roof caving in and multiple walls falling during the blaze. | high |
| 04 | Bio-Lab has operated the Conyers Plant since 1973 and has stored, blended, and packaged trichloroisocyanuric acid into consumer products at the site throughout that time, with known and recurring fire risk. | med |
| 05 | KIK Consumer Products, one of North America’s largest independent consumer products manufacturers, acquired Bio-Lab to expand its pool and spa chemical business and owned and operated the Conyers Plant at the time of the 2024 fire. | med |
| 06 | Defendants are accused of utter indifference, reckless and willful conduct, and failure to take sufficient precautions to prevent fires, prevent chemical reactions with water-reactive materials, and mitigate toxic emissions from the facility. | high |
Regulatory Failures
How oversight broke down · 5 points
▾
| 01 | Despite a documented history of toxic incidents at the Conyers Plant going back to 2004, regulatory oversight failed to force Bio-Lab to install adequate fire suppression systems between incidents. | high |
| 02 | The EPA, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, FEMA, Georgia Department of Transportation, and multiple county emergency agencies were all mobilized in response to the 2024 fire, underscoring the scale of the public harm that proper regulation should have prevented. | med |
| 03 | After the 2020 water-leak incident at the Conyers Plant, chlorine levels at nearby businesses measured 12 times the permissible federal exposure limit; no evidence in the complaint suggests that Bio-Lab was required to overhaul its systems before the 2024 fire. | high |
| 04 | The 2016 fire at the Conyers Plant was only discovered because a nearby resident smelled smoke and called authorities, revealing a facility with insufficient internal detection and alert systems. | med |
| 05 | Air quality monitoring in the wake of the 2024 fire confirmed the presence of chlorine in the plume, traveling along “unpredictable” paths dictated by wind patterns, affecting an area well beyond Rockdale County. | med |
Community Impact
Who was harmed and how · 8 points
▾
| 01 | More than 77,000 Rockdale County residents were ordered to shelter in place from 7:45 p.m. on September 29 through at least September 30, 2024, confined to their homes with windows shut and air conditioning off. | high |
| 02 | Over 17,000 residents were directly evacuated. Those unable to leave were trapped at home, including the named plaintiffs who could not attend a scheduled medical appointment. | high |
| 03 | Piedmont Rockdale Hospital evacuated patients and went on diversion, delaying emergency medical care for the surrounding community during the disaster. | high |
| 04 | Multiple schools near the plant, including Shoal Creek Elementary (1.6 miles away), Conyers Middle School (2.2 miles), and Rockdale County High School (1.9 miles), serve children who were directly in the exposure zone. | high |
| 05 | Newton County Schools closed all schools on September 30, 2024. Georgia Piedmont Technical College closed both its Newton and Rockdale campuses. All Rockdale County government buildings, including the courthouse and elections office, shut down. | med |
| 06 | All businesses in Rockdale County were asked to close operations while the shelter-in-place order was in effect, causing direct economic harm to workers and business owners throughout the community. | med |
| 07 | Interstate 20 was closed in both directions across an eight-mile stretch for at least two days. Additional highway closures affected traffic flow across the region. | med |
| 08 | Churches across Rockdale County and neighboring communities were asked to immediately cancel or end Sunday services on September 29, 2024, disrupting religious gatherings for thousands of residents. | low |
Repeat Offender: Twenty Years of Toxic Incidents
A pattern of preventable harm · 5 points
▾
| 01 | In 2004, a Bio-Lab warehouse fire injured 28 people, produced a toxic chlorine plume affecting residents within 50 miles, forced evacuation within a 1.5-mile radius, closed Interstate 20, and resulted in a $7 million settlement. | high |
| 02 | In 2016, a storage shed fire at the Conyers Plant released chlorine pellet fumes and triggered a 1-mile evacuation. The fire was only reported because a nearby resident, not plant staff, smelled smoke and called 911. | high |
| 03 | In 2020, a water line leak flooded part of the facility, reacted with trichloroisocyanuric acid, produced chlorine at 12 times the federal permissible exposure limit, hospitalized nine firefighters, closed a highway, and caused an estimated $1,007,000 in property damage. | high |
| 04 | In 2024, the pattern repeated on a far larger scale. The sprinkler system that was supposed to fight the fire instead reacted with water-reactive chemicals and generated the toxic plume, directly implicating the adequacy of Bio-Lab’s fire protection infrastructure. | high |
| 05 | The lawsuit alleges that Defendants’ failures to address the causes of previous incidents and allowing another chemical fire without adequately updating fire protection systems and emergency procedures represent bad faith, reckless, and willful conduct. | high |
Property and Economic Fallout
Financial harm to residents and communities · 5 points
▾
| 01 | Residents living near the Conyers Plant observed smoke, ash, and chemical debris deposited on their properties and around their homes following the 2024 fire. | high |
| 02 | Plaintiffs and thousands of class members suffered loss of use and enjoyment of their properties, clean-up and remediation costs, lost business profits, and expected diminution in property value as a direct result of the toxic plume. | high |
| 03 | Evacuated residents were unable to return to their homes to retrieve essential items including medication, communication devices, and personal property. | med |
| 04 | Defendants are accused of failing to remove toxic substances, smoke debris, and particulate matter from the properties of class members even after knowing they caused the contamination. | med |
| 05 | The lawsuit demands an independent third-party property assessor be appointed to evaluate property damage and diminution in value for all affected owners and lessees in Conyers and surrounding communities. | med |
Corporate Accountability Failures
Weak penalties, inadequate reform, and the cost of impunity · 5 points
▾
| 01 | Despite paying a $7 million settlement after the 2004 fire, Bio-Lab did not install a fire suppression system capable of preventing chemical reactions with water-reactive materials, as evidenced by the 2024 disaster. | high |
| 02 | Three prior incidents spanning twenty years provided ample notice and opportunity for Bio-Lab and KIK to upgrade their fire protection and chemical storage systems. The complaint alleges they chose not to do so. | high |
| 03 | KIK Consumer Products, as the parent company that acquired Bio-Lab and continued its operations, is named as a co-defendant. The complaint alleges KIK owned and operated the Conyers Plant at all relevant times, making corporate leadership directly responsible. | med |
| 04 | Plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages on the grounds that Defendants’ repeated failures represent bad faith, recklessness, and willful disregard for the rights and safety of the surrounding community. | med |
| 05 | The class action demands injunctive relief including particulate masks for all Conyers residents, HEPA filters for affected homes, independent air and groundwater testing, perimeter monitoring at the plant fence line, complete cleanup of all affected properties, and temporary alternative housing for displaced residents. | med |
🕐 Timeline of Events
2004
Warehouse fire at Conyers Plant injures 28 people, releases chlorine plume affecting residents within 50 miles, closes Interstate 20, forces 1.5-mile evacuation. Settlement: $7 million.
2016
Storage shed fire at Conyers Plant releases chlorine pellet fumes. Discovered only because a nearby resident smells smoke and calls 911. 1-mile evacuation ordered.
2020
Water line leak floods facility and reacts with trichloroisocyanuric acid. Chlorine levels reach 12 times the federal permissible limit. Nine firefighters hospitalized. Highway closed. $1,007,000 in property damage.
Sep 29, 2024 (5 a.m.)
Fire ignites on roof of Conyers Plant. Malfunctioning sprinkler head reacts with water-reactive chemicals, generating massive toxic smoke and dust plume visible from 30 miles away.
Sep 29, 2024 (12 p.m.)
Fire reignites after initial containment, sending large plume of black smoke into the air across the region.
Sep 29, 2024 (1:10 p.m.)
Rockdale County issues Evacuation Alert for 17,000+ residents. Interstate 20 closed in both directions across eight miles.
Sep 29, 2024 (4 p.m.)
Fire contained a second time. Conyers Plant building has suffered complete structural collapse.
Sep 29, 2024 (7:45 p.m.)
Shelter-in-place order issued for all 77,000+ Rockdale County residents. Piedmont Rockdale Hospital diverts emergency patients. Churches cancel services county-wide.
Sep 30, 2024
Shelter-in-place extended. Schools, government offices, and businesses remain closed across Rockdale and Newton counties. EPA and EPD confirm chlorine in the air.
Sep 30, 2024
Class action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on behalf of Fannie and Albert Tartt and all similarly situated property owners.
💬 Direct Quotes from the Legal Record
QUOTE 1
The fire and its scope
Core Allegations
“evacuated as toxic smoke billowed from chemical-fueled inferno.”
💡 This contemporaneous news characterization, cited in the complaint, captures the scale of what thousands of Rockdale residents experienced on September 29, 2024.
QUOTE 2
Foreseeability of harm
Corporate Accountability Failures
“At all relevant times, the risk of a chemical fire and the release of a toxic smoke and dust plume was reasonably foreseeable to Defendants.”
💡 This is a central legal finding in the complaint: Bio-Lab and KIK cannot claim surprise. Four incidents over twenty years made the danger obvious.
QUOTE 3
Inadequate fire suppression
Core Allegations
“Bio-Lab did not have an adequate fire protection system in order to quickly and effectively extinguish fires at their facility while also avoiding causing dangerous chemical reactions with water-reactive chemicals.”
💡 This allegation cuts to the core of the company’s negligence. The very system meant to fight the fire made the disaster worse.
QUOTE 4
Repeat offender conduct
Corporate Accountability Failures
“Defendants’ repeated incidents involving similar fires, smoke plumes, chemical releases, and toxic smoke and dust emissions from the Conyers Plant reflect bad faith, reckless, and willful and wanton conduct on the part of Defendants.”
💡 The complaint makes clear this is not an isolated accident. It is a pattern of corporate recklessness across two decades.
QUOTE 5
Residents trapped without essentials
Community Impact
“Evacuated residents were unable to return to their homes to obtain personal items and necessities, including medication, technology, and communication devices to inform loved ones of their wellbeing.”
💡 Corporate negligence has real human costs. People were cut off from their medicine and unable to tell their families they were safe.
QUOTE 6
Chlorine confirmed in the air
Regulatory Failures
“the results indicated ‘the harmful irritant chlorine’ emitting from the Conyers Plant.”
💡 Official government air quality tests confirmed that residents were breathing toxic chlorine fumes in their own neighborhoods.
QUOTE 7
Unpredictable toxic plume path
Community Impact
“wind patterns made the toxic chlorine pollution follow an ‘unpredictable path.'”
💡 The threat did not stop at county lines. The community had no way to know where the poison was heading, or whether they were safe anywhere in the region.
QUOTE 8
2020 chlorine levels at businesses
Repeat Offender
“chlorine levels in the air at nearby business property measured 12 times the permissible exposure limit set by the federal government.”
💡 In 2020, four years before the 2024 disaster, the federal government’s own safety threshold was exceeded by 1,200 percent at the same facility. Bio-Lab kept operating.
💬 Commentary
How serious is this, really? Isn’t this just a freak accident?
▾
This is not a freak accident. It is the fourth major chemical incident at the same facility since 2004. Each prior event produced toxic releases, forced evacuations, and caused documented harm. Each time, Bio-Lab continued operating. The 2024 fire was a foreseeable consequence of twenty years of inadequate safety reform, and the complaint makes that case directly. A company with this track record operating a facility packed with water-reactive chlorine chemicals without an adequate fire suppression system is not unlucky: it is negligent by design.
Who is KIK Consumer Products and why are they named in the lawsuit?
▾
KIK Consumer Products is one of North America’s largest independent manufacturers of consumer products, headquartered in Canada. KIK acquired Bio-Lab to expand into pool and spa treatment chemicals and, according to the complaint, owned and operated the Conyers Plant at all relevant times. Naming KIK as a co-defendant is critical: it prevents the operating subsidiary from serving as a financial firewall that shields the parent company from liability for decisions it controlled.
What kind of harm did residents actually suffer?
▾
Over 77,000 people were ordered to shelter in place with their windows sealed and air conditioning off, breathing air in homes that may have already been infiltrated by chlorine fumes. More than 17,000 were evacuated, unable to retrieve medication or contact loved ones. Toxic ash and debris settled on homes, yards, and community spaces. Property values have been damaged. Schools, hospitals, government buildings, and businesses all shut down. The named plaintiffs could not leave to attend a scheduled physical therapy appointment. These are not abstract harms: they are the lived consequences of a company that chose not to fix what was broken.
Why did the sprinkler system make things worse?
▾
Trichloroisocyanuric acid, the main chemical produced at the Conyers Plant, is water-reactive. When water contacts it under heat and fire conditions, it produces toxic chlorine gas. A standard water-based sprinkler system spraying water onto this chemical is not a solution: it is an accelerant to the toxic hazard. Bio-Lab knew this. Their entire product line is built around chlorine chemistry. Yet the complaint alleges they did not have a fire protection system designed to address this specific and obvious risk. The malfunctioning sprinkler head that triggered the plume was a preventable failure, not a random malfunction.
Did the 2004 settlement change anything?
▾
Not enough. Bio-Lab paid $7 million to settle claims from the 2004 fire, then experienced additional toxic incidents in 2016 and 2020, and then the 2024 fire on a far larger scale. Settlements without mandatory, enforceable, independently monitored safety reforms are not accountability: they are a cost of doing business. When the fine is cheaper than the fix, corporations choose the fine. That is exactly what appears to have happened here, across two decades, under the watch of two corporate owners.
What are residents being asked to do about the contamination in their homes?
▾
The lawsuit demands that Bio-Lab and KIK provide particulate masks and HEPA air filters to all Conyers residents, conduct immediate air and groundwater testing, disclose all information about the toxic compounds in the plume, install perimeter monitoring at the plant fence line, fully clean all affected homes and public spaces, wash the exteriors of buildings and the streets and sidewalks of all affected areas, and provide alternative housing during the cleanup period. These are the minimum standards of remediation that affected residents deserve and that the defendants are alleged to have an obligation to provide.
What can I do to help prevent this from happening again?
▾
Support organizations that advocate for stronger chemical facility safety regulations, including the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and the Center for Effective Government. Contact your Georgia state representatives and U.S. congressional representatives to demand stronger enforcement of the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program (RMP), which governs facilities that handle dangerous chemicals. Share this story. Follow the class action case. If you or someone you know was affected, contact the plaintiff attorneys listed in the complaint. And demand that any settlement of this case include mandatory, independently verified safety upgrades, not just a check. Accountability that leaves the hazard in place is no accountability at all.
Bio-labs is owned by Aerosols Danville Inc.
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