Georgia Rep Kenny Johnson Dies After Testifying on Conyers Chemical Fire

The Georgia State Representative of Rockdale Soil & Water Conservation – District Supervisor collapsed and died after giving a statement at the Biolab chemical fire hearing in Conyers, Georgia, on Tuesday. Kenny Johnson spoke about his concerns with the sulfuric acid stored and used at the Biolab facility, which received significant taxpayer funds.

When Johnson began to speak, he had some difficulties breathing and speaking. He said he was out of breath as he put his hand to his heart. He described the chemicals stored at the Biolab facility and said, “That will kill you. Everybody in Rockdale County needs to go to their doctor and check out their blood for toxins. Please get that out.”

“850 million dollars of our taxes went to this company to kill us,” Johnson said during the hearing. “Y’all are in charge. Y’all our elected officials. We need a federal criminal investigation.”

Johnson’s cause of death has not yet been revealed, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be looking into the matter. They will be performing an autopsy to determine more information.

Johnson’s death comes about nine days after a chlorine chemical plume overtook the city of Conyers and the surrounding towns in Rockdale County. The HighWire reported last week about the chemical fire at the Biolab facility in Conyers. The facility produces chemicals for pools and spas, so the most prominent chemical is chlorine. Residents have complained about chlorine smell in the air, including at least one resident from Alabama, a 90-minute drive from Atlanta. Residents 40 miles from the facility have reported sore throats and itchy eyes.

Scott Smith, the independent evaluator who challenged the EPA’s conclusions in East Palestine, OH, has been on the ground in Conyers taking samples. The HighWire has interviewed Smith multiple times regarding his work in East Palestine and the alleged cover-up by the EPA to protect Norfolk Southern.

Smith said on social media, “It appears as of now the EPA is NOT doing any testing and allowing Biolabs to do their own testing, so this independent testing will help the community understand exactly what dangerous chemicals may be flowing from the Biolab fire into surrounding water and air.”

Smith tested a retention pond within 1,500 feet of the facility to get a baseline of chemicals to compare other testing locations in the area. They found a dead frog by the pond, but cannot conclusively say the chemical exposure was the cause of the frog’s death.

Cody Alcorn, a local journalist, reported that Rockdale County Schools will have virtual classes until at least October 18 as a shelter-in-place order remains in effect for residents within two miles of ground zero. Nearly half of the district schools are within this zone.

During Smith’s visit to Conyers, he encountered “black chunks of debris” that the EPA said was “burned structural debris” that reportedly did not contain asbestos. Smith expects to see testing results within a couple of weeks. He told Fox 5 news that two million pounds of chlorine were burned during the East Palestine train derailment. Smith estimates that the Conyers fire burned six to ten times that amount, which is between 12 and 20 million pounds of chlorine.

East Palestine residents are still dealing with chronic health issues 20 months after the initial chemical exposure. While there are likely significantly higher amounts of chlorine burned in Conyers, a variety of chemicals were released upon the residents in East Palestine.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Johnson and other residents called for the Biolab facility to be shut down. Johnson said, “I asked for a federal criminal investigation. This is not the first time. This is the second time. I have been asking for this three weeks ago. Three weeks later, what we have. Fire. They said it’s an accident. Where’s the MSDS? Where are the material safety data sheets? Where is the layout of the company? Why weren’t the chemicals stored in a dry place? They pour water on the chemical. That reacts.”

Johnson continued, “EPA region four is the worst region in the United States. Rockdale County has been out of federal compliance for four decades. I’ve been fighting for six years. We don’t have enough inspectors to go to these companies, and they know that. They’re not qualified. They know that.”

A Facebook group has been created for the residents to shut down Biolab following this massive chemical exposure inflicted upon the residents of Rockdale County. Residents have seen dead birds.

PM2.5 refers to small inhalable particulate matter that can be harmful to health. The EPA says particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers can go deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. 2.5 micrometers is significantly smaller and a greater risk to health. The levels of PM2.5 on Wednesday morning were 2.9 times greater than the WHO annual air quality guideline value in Atlanta and 3.1 times higher in Conyers.

The EPA states that symptoms of exposure to PM2.5 include “premature death in people with heart or lung disease.” Other symptoms include “irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, coughing, and difficulty breathing.” These are symptoms that Johnson appeared to have experienced during his statement and moments before his unfortunate death.

The EPA has been criticized for its response to the chemical disaster as they averaged out the levels and determined that the chlorine level was below “actionable levels.” The day after the fire, Rockdale County liftedthe shelter in place order and deemed the water was safe. Although there are tests that have come back significantly higher than “actionable levels,” the EPA requires the level to stay there for a minimum of one hour. In addition, the EPA has not revealed how they are averaging the testing data to show that the exposure level is below the actionable level.

With the schools closed until October 18, residents are questioning if the EPA is hiding information regarding the safety of the region. Scott Smith will be appearing on Status Coup with Jordan Chariton on Wednesday evening to discuss what he has seen on the ground.