Special Announcement
Official DeKalb County Office of Emergency Management (DEMA), Situational Awareness Alert- DeKalb County Weather and Situational Update for Thursday, October 3rd, 700 PM
Haze, chlorine smell likely to move toward DeKalb on Friday
Incident could take the rest of week into the weekend to resolve
Please see the latest forecast information below regarding areas in and around the BioLab facility. The forecast for the next 24 hours includes continued easterly winds (blowing toward the west) and changes in plume height, with the latter impacting plume behavior.
IMPORTANT FORECAST NOTES:
• Winds: Surface winds will be light (less than 3 mph) and east-northeasterly to easterly (blowing toward the west-southwest or west) from 8 PM tonight through 8 AM tomorrow (Friday). Periods of variable wind direction or a calm wind (0 mph) are possible. East-northeasterly to easterly surface winds at 3-6 mph are expected on Friday. Occasional gusts of 8-12 mph are possible.
• Weather: Patchy fog could develop overnight, but confidence is low as fog development would be dependent on the plume persisting. There is a low chance (less than 10%) that a light shower could occur on Friday. The most likely scenario is that the site remains dry on Friday.
• Plume Height/Dispersion: Another inversion (a stable layer of air near the ground that does not allow vertical mixing) will suppress the plume overnight, as mixing heights decrease to less than 500 feet. A peak mixing height and subsequent plume height around 3000 feet is expected on Friday afternoon.
DeKalb County residents may smell chlorine and wake up to hazy conditions Friday morning as the winds are expected to move west from the Conyers chemical plant.
The smoke is predicted to settle near the ground as it moves toward Atlanta.
This does not mean that people in DeKalb and Metro Atlanta are unsafe. It is important to know that as the air settles each evening, smoke settles towards the ground as well. As the air lifts back up in the afternoon and evening, the smell and haze should dissipate. Chlorine has a very low odor threshold, meaning you can smell it before it reaches a harmful level.
Smoke that contains chlorine compounds can cause various symptoms including irritation of the eyes and airways, coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, a scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, headaches, stinging eyes, or a runny nose. People with heart disease might experience chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, or fatigue. People with lung disease may not be able to breathe as deeply or as vigorously as usual, and they may experience symptoms such as coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
Limiting your exposure to the smoke and taking precautions to protect your health is important.
• Limit your activities outdoors and stay inside and away from the smoke.
• Keep indoor air as clean as possible. Keep windows and doors closed. Run your air conditioner only if you can close the fresh air intake and use re-circulated air.
• The elderly, children, and people with compromised immune systems should stay indoors or limit outdoor activities to prevent exposure to smoke.
• If you have asthma or another lung disease, follow the advice of your doctor or other health care providers about your respiratory management plan and medicines.
At this time, chlorine levels in the air sit at safe levels, however, out of an abundance of caution, continue to follow the advice of your local EMA's. However, if you experience symptoms like the ones mentioned above, please contact your health provider or the Georgia Poison Center at 404-856-6252.
The public can submit any agricultural, animal health or food safety related questions directly to the Chemicalevent@arg.georgia.gov
Please Note- As an additional safeguard to our citizens, DeKalb County will continue to implement additional air monitoring activities all day tomorrow, as it has continuously conducted at over 30 locations throughout the County since Monday, September 30th.
DeKalb County Office of Emergency Management (DEMA) will continue to closely monitor the latest and update everyone as necessary.
If you have any questions please call me, 404-274-7353.
Regards,
Director, Chief J.K. Cox DeKalb Office of Emergency Management, GA-CEM, IAAI-CFI, NFPA-CFI
"Those Who Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail"
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State and Federal Agencies Continue Monitoring Rockdale County Biolab Fire Incident
Click below for additional details from GEMA
State and Federal Agencies Continue Monitoring Rockdale County Biolab Fire Incident ' Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
See Attached for Other Important Chemical Fire FAQ
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Here are some Health/Safety FAQ- to assist you with any questions and/or concerns.
Chemicals released from fire are chlorine, chloramine and chlorine compounds.
Chlorine compounds may irritate skin and mucous membranes, which include eyes, nasal passages, and respiratory system. People with preexisting conditions affecting these parts of the body may be more likely to develop symptoms from this exposure.
Recommendations include limiting exposure to these compounds by staying indoors with closed windows and doors. Turn off HVAC that may pull in outdoor air. HVAC systems that are known to only recirculate indoor air can be left on in recirculate mode.
N95 masks are likely to provide only limited benefit, if any, because the chlorine compounds are smaller than the size filtered by an N95 mask.
The levels of the chemicals reported to date are below the levels previously recognized to cause symptoms in most people. Some people may develop symptoms even at these levels.
People who have severe symptoms should seek emergency care. People with nonemergent symptoms can call the Georgia Poison Center to discuss what they should do and whether they need to seek medical care at a special number established for this purpose: 404 856 6252.
However, conditions continue to change, so you should follow recommendations from Emergency Management and Public Health as they are updated.
Robert J. Geller, MD Medical Toxicologist Medical Director, Georgia Poison Center