LISTEN: Air quality experts say people with asthma and respiratory illnesses are more prone to health impacts following a Sunday fire at a chemical plant in Rockdale County. As the smell of chlorine lingers in the air, Georgia Poison Control Center has set up a hotline for anyone with questions. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more.
Conyers is about 30 miles east of Atlanta, but distance did not stop a smoky cloud plume from bringing its eye-stinging, lung-irritating chlorine gas smell to parts of Decatur, just east of Atlanta, and surrounding counties.
The plume was still moving Wednesday.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency warned that winds could shift and people in much of Atlanta could see haze and smell chlorine.
Around 5 a.m. Sunday, a malfunctioned sprinkler head at BioLab’s plant “came in contact with a water-reactive chemical and produced a plume,” Rockdale County officials posted on the county website.
Sodium hypochlorite, which is a component of commercial bleaches, cleaning solutions, and disinfectants for drinking water and wastewater purification systems and swimming pools, releases chlorine gas when it contacts acids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overnight, chlorine levels increased around the Bio Lab facility as workers continued to make progress in "neutralizing the product," which was expected, according to the official update.
Rockdale County residents are being asked to "shelter in place" from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday.
Ted Russell, an air quality expert with Georgia Tech, said the major pollutants of concern are chlorine gas and hydrochloric acid gas, which act differently in the atmosphere.
Sunlight breaks up chlorine molecules, giving it a fairly short lifetime, Russell said.
The cloud plume created by the reaction between chlorine and water is different now that the fire is out, he said.
"It's not only breaking up, it's dispersing," he said. "And maybe that's the same sort of thing; that concentrations will just get lower and lower. And, again, the sunlight is bringing this down."
Chlorine gas is much more stable in the dark, Russell said, which explains why officials believe the plume would shift more in the night.
"That plume is going to move away, dissipate," he said. "And it's not like you're going to be so worried about it sticking around for a long time after they put the quench the reaction and take care of all the emissions."
There are no specific medical tests to determine whether you have been exposed to chlorine gas. Any treatment involves supporting the respiratory system.
Symptoms may be apparent immediately or delayed for a few hours.
Rapidly changing blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat signify severe exposure, and cardiovascular collapse may occur from lack of oxygen, according to the CDC.
Signs of pulmonary edema, fluid buildup in the lungs, show up about 2 to 4 hours after moderate exposure and 30 to 60 minutes following a severe exposure.
Children may be more vulnerable to corrosive agents than adults because of the smaller diameter of their airways.
State and federal officials are continuing to monitor air quality using a self-contained mobile laboratory called the Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) that is capable of real-time monitoring of outdoor air or emissions as weather patterns change throughout the Atlanta metro area this week.
