Conyers Biolab Fire: Early Tests Show Dioxin Levels Far Exceed East Palestine

Government Accountability Project Whistleblower and independent testing expert Scott Smith held a town hall to reveal his testing data from the aftermath of the Conyers, Georgia Biolab fire that occurred in September. Smith has previously conducted testing in East Palestine and has compared his latest data from Conyers to the residue testing he conducted in East Palestine.

Smith tested residue from a porch table in East Palestine and compared this result to the testing of residue on a car windshield in Conyers and a car hood in Conyers. His preliminary results show 269% higher levels of dioxins on the Conyers windshield than the porch table in East Palestine and 752% higher for the car hood in Conyers. Smith noted that these preliminary testing results are subject to change with further review and analysis.

Smith listed seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were found in his Conyers testing results. They are 4-methyl-2-pentanone, Dibromochloromethane, Acetone, Chloroform, Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, and 2-butanone.

Smith appeared on Speak Your Mind With Larry Cox to share his results. He talked about the particle size of VOCs being significantly smaller than what the human eye can see. VOCs are about 2.5 microns in diameter. Dust and pollen is 10 microns and the human eye is capable of seeing things that are 40 microns or larger.

The HighWire has reported about Smith’s testing in East Palestine, including the alleged coverup by the EPA to cherry-pick testing locations so they can conclude everything is safe. In both East Palestine and Conyers, residents have been exposed to a mixture of various chemicals, which can cause synergistic toxicity.

While the EPA has levels they deem to be safe, they do not consider the concept of synergistic toxicity. “There are no standards for mixtures of chemicals,” Smith said on Cox’s show. “You may hear from the EPA and the public relations people from the responsible parties like Biolab, ‘Oh no, it’s perfectly safe,’ but that’s based on a singular exposure to a singular chemical…It’s about the presence of the mixtures of chemicals because what you’re not being told is the mixtures, there are no standards.”

The HighWire reported in November about a “toxic loophole” in which “reactive chemicals” are not regulated as “extremely hazardous” by the EPA’s Risk Management Plan. Biolab and other companies have chemicals that are not individually considered hazardous, so the companies are not subject to the RMP. The Lever news reported that over 100 chemical accidents occurred in 2024 at facilities with reactive chemicals that could have potentially been prevented with a RMP. A chemical fire, leak, or explosion happens every 1.2 days in the United States.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluded its investigation and determined the fire was caused by improperly stored hazardous chemicals. The company has been fined $61,000 by the U.S. Department of Labor. Biolab is a subsidiary of Kik Consumer Products, which has approximate annual sales revenue of $2 billion. The Conyers Biolab facility has had four fires in 20 years and the Louisiana facility has had three fires in the last four years.

Smith said residents 20 to 30 miles away from the Biolab facility reported illnesses. Soot and ash were also found in those areas. Smith also described an apparent chlorine sensitivity residents experienced when they went to his town hall speech.

“I started to hear from a lot of residents that were affected by Biolab that they had a lot of reactions from that town hall,” Smith said. “There was a heavy chlorine smell as you walked into that hotel ‘cause the pool was literally across the hall.”

Smith explained a condition called Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance, as studied and researched by Dr. Claudia Miller. “That means when you’re exposed to a mixture of chemicals like Biolab, East Palestine, you become hyper-sensitive and have reactions when you’re exposed to other chemicals.”

During his presentation, Smith talked about the importance of furnace filters in helping determine the level of exposure residents have experienced.

“Even these, you know, MERV filters, you know, 12 and around there, less than 20% of the particles will be trapped, so that’s where I get into, you don’t want to fall into the trap, ‘Oh, it’s perfectly safe, you’re below the OSHA threshold.’ It’s about what did you breathe in that that filter didn’t capture. We know 80% of the particles, what’s left on that filter, that you were potentially exposed to, that’s why furnace filters matter.”

The EPA discontinued air monitoring in Conyers on October 17, just under three weeks after the Biolab fire. The Biolab response website states “On October 17, 2024, the Unified Command concluded its emergency response operations at BioLab’s Conyers facility.” It directs people to the Biolab community resources page.

The last update on March 24 said the company had taken more than 43,000 calls and 18,000 emails and that the Community Assistance Center would only accept email inquiries after April 11.

Local news outlet 11 Alive News reported this morning that a couple is facing difficulty receiving a payment from Biolab for their furniture and other items that were destroyed in a storage unit. LoveJoy stored the furniture at ServiceMaster. ServiceMaster said everything that was stored in the facility was unsalvageable.

Biolab is asking the couple to pull the furniture out into the facility’s driveway to inspect and smell the items. The couple called the EPA and were advised that the items stored in the facility shouldn’t be touched, even “with a 10-foot-pole.”