BioLab completes remediation; halts manufacturing at Conyers facility

BioLab halts manufacturing at Conyers facility

BioLab has completed environmental remediation at its Conyers facility but will not resume manufacturing operations due to ongoing production challenges and future business considerations.

CONYERS, Ga. - BioLab announced Thursday it has completed environmental remediation at its Conyers facility following a fire, but the company will not resume manufacturing operations at the site.

What they're saying:

The company said it has made "significant progress" in cleaning up the plant over the last several months and has now finished remediation efforts. However, it cited ongoing production challenges and future business considerations as reasons for the decision to permanently end manufacturing in Conyers.

"After taking steps to meet customer needs through alternative production, and in considering our future business needs carefully, we have made the difficult decision to not restart manufacturing at the Conyers plant," the company said in a statement.

While the manufacturing facility will remain closed, BioLab confirmed that its Conyers Distribution Center—cleared to reopen in November 2024—will stay operational and continue to fulfill customer orders with products sourced from other locations.

"We take our role in Conyers very seriously," the statement continued. "As we move forward, the safety and wellbeing of the Conyers community remain a top priority."

The other side:

"This decision directly supports the goals of our new Board of Commissioners, who have made sustainability, environmental responsibility, and public health top priorities," said Chair and CEO JaNice Van Ness. "The safety and welfare of our citizens is of paramount importance, and this transition allows us to make measurable progress in improving the well-being of our community." 

"This is not the end of our efforts — it’s a step forward," Chair Van Ness added. "We will continue monitoring the impact of this event on our County and residents, encouraging the use of clean technologies, and ensuring that economic development never comes at the cost of our residents’ health or safety."

A local environmental and public health advocacy group is calling the permanent shutdown of BioLab’s manufacturing operations in Conyers a "good first step" following years of chemical incidents tied to the facility, including a major fire in September 2024.

The Committee to Protect Rockdale, formerly known as the Shutdown Bio-Lab Coalition, issued a statement Thursday in response to the company’s announcement that it will not resume production at the plant.

"Over twenty years after their first major disaster, the Committee to Protect Rockdale recognizes this closure is a good first step towards accountability, and we look forward to continuing that journey in the courthouse and the community," the group said. "Right now, our attention is on supporting the Public Health Recovery Research project so that we can track health and wellness outcomes and make sure no one gets left behind in the coming years."

The group credited months of sustained pressure from residents, environmental justice organizations, and health experts for the decision to shutter the plant. However, they also raised concerns about what they described as a lack of a comprehensive chemical safety plan at the county level, citing multiple incidents at the same facility over the last two decades.

The committee is now urging the Rockdale County Commission to take immediate action. They are calling for an expedited emergency planning update and the denial of any future business license renewals for KIK Consumer Products — BioLab’s parent company — or any of its subsidiaries, unless chemical production is explicitly prohibited.

"Put simply: we don’t want to wake up in a year to find out that the company has quietly restarted production. We want the Commission to leave no doubt," the statement said.

The backstory:

Back in April, OSHA cited BioLab Inc. for six violations related to improperly stored hazardous materials, proposing $61,473 in penalties.

A fire broke out at BioLab in Conyers on Sept. 29, 2024. Water mixed with the pool shock product inside, sending chemicals, like chlorine, into the air for days. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.

Since that day, there have been calls to shut the facility down in Conyers following previous fires. The facility partially re-opened in November.

Commissioners announced a lawsuit against BioLab in October, citing the physical and emotional tolls the company has caused the community.

SEE ALSO: 

• OSHA cites BioLab for safety violations after Conyers facility fire
• New health survey studying impacts of Rockdale County BioLab chemical fire
• Body of missing man with schizophrenia found in Rockdale County
• Cancer-causing chemicals discovered in Rockdale County soil after BioLab fire, scientist finds
• BioLab sets deadline for claims over Conyers chemical plant fire