Researchers are launching a three-year study to assess the long-term health impact of last year’s BioLab fire in Conyers. The project, led by the Morehouse School of Medicine and local nonprofit Community Action NOW!, will track respiratory, neurological, and other health concerns in residents and first responders.
A new, three-year study aimed at tracking the long-term health effects of last year’s chemical fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers will start next month.
Researchers from the Morehouse School of Medicine along with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Georgia have partnered with local nonprofit Community Action NOW! (CAN) to launch the Post-Fire Public Health Recovery Project. The initiative aims to document and assess a wide range of health impacts stemming from the chemical fire, which forced more than 17,000 residents to evacuate and left 90,000 others sheltering in place on September 29, 2024.
“This is a critical moment for our community,” said Iffat Walker, executive director of Community Action NOW! “The Post-Fire Public Health Recovery Project is our moment to make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected.”
The fire at BioLab, a plant that produces cleaning products for swimming pools and spas, sent a potentially toxic plume of chemicals into the air. Months later, residents continue to report lingering respiratory issues, eye and skin irritation, and other health concerns. But beyond the immediate effects, researchers worry about long-term risks, including cardiovascular, neurological, and cancer-related conditions.
Walker said she was impacted by people who spoke up at a December community meeting expressing concern about their futures.
“What I heard was, 'I’m scared.' 'I don't know what is going to happen to me here.' 'I don't have the resources to get the type of information I need.'”
What the Post-Fire Public Health Recovery Project hopes to do is to combine data collection and community advocacy.
Dr. James Washington, a researcher at the Morehouse School of Medicine’s Cardiovascular Research Institute, emphasized the importance of community-led science in identifying and addressing health disparities.
“We want to empower communities where people from different neighborhoods, people with different professions, all are affected by the same thing,” Washington said. “Working as a team and giving them those scientific tools that we work with. We expect some wonderful things that come out of it.”
The first year of the study will focus on outreach and data collection to document the full range of physical and mental health effects linked to the fire. The following years will center on tracking a group of residents and first responders who volunteer to have their health monitored over time. The study will also include people from neighboring counties that were affected — including Newton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Walton, and Henry counties.
Residents interested in participating in the study can sign up through Community Action NOW!’s website. The first round of surveys is expected to be available March 1.
