BioLab chemical fire case goes to Georgia Supreme Court

(The Center Square) – The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear oral arguments on April 21 related to a 2024 chemical fire in Conyers.

The fire at BioLab Chemicals forced residents to evacuate for several weeks due to chemical emissions that elevated chlorine levels.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case involving residents who said they were exposed to the chemicals during the fire. They are asking the court to require BioLab to pay for continuous medical monitoring, even though they did not show a physical injury, according to court documents.

If the court decides that the residents can receive medical monitoring, it will be up to the justices to determine the legal standard for the remedy, according to the court.

The case has drawn support from several organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which filed an amicus brief on behalf of BioLab.

“Georgia’s judiciary must already contend with scarce resources,” the chamber said in its brief published on its website. “Allowing claims by the unimpaired to enter the state’s court system would invite judicial morass, frustrating the ability of the state’s judges to fairly and timely adjudicate tort and other claims involving an actual injury. The court should protect judicial resources from being depleted by premature claims, not open the door to them.”

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined BioLab $61,473 in 2025 for what the agency called four serious and two other-than-serious violations.

The company is facing multiple lawsuits, including one from the Rockdale County Commission, which is still pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.