atlanta weekend travel tagged interest

Officials warn that swaths of metro Atlanta may see hazy skies and smell a chlorine odor as winds will continue to shift west over the weekend, potentially carrying smoke from a now-extinguished fire at the BioLab plant.

Neighboring DeKalb County, for example, told residents they could wake up to those conditions on Friday.

“Chlorine levels in the air sit at safe levels,” officials said. But, “out of an abundance of caution, continue to follow the advice of your local (emergency management agencies).”

In Rockdale County, classes will be held virtually Monday through Wednesday; the district said it was exercising caution because of the dangers of the plume, which can lead to breathing problems. Rockdale students have been on fall break this week.

“We have not been given a timeline for the completion of the cleanup, but we hope that we are able to resume normal operations later next week,” the district said. “As officials have stated, the air quality is unlikely to cause harm to most people; however, there are some people who may be affected by the chemical plume if they are in its direct path. Due to changing wind directions and other weather conditions, it is difficult to predict exactly where the plume will travel and for how long.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, citing advice from medical professionals, advised residents to stay indoors if the plume moved overhead and to call their medical provider if they experienced concerning symptoms as winds are expected to continue to shift west through Sunday.

“Because the winds are relatively light (less than 10 mph during the day and less than 5 mph at night), fluctuations in the direction are possible, especially near the ground. But generally, the winds will move from east to west,” the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency stated.

Over the past several days, there have been hundreds of poison control calls from concerned citizens.

Additionally, a surveillance system that allows state health officials to look at electronic health information suggests “a few hundred” patients have gone to emergency rooms and clinics complaining of symptoms associated with an exposure to the BioLab smoke, Georgia Department of Public Health epidemiologist Cherie Drenzek told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The system doesn’t look for diagnoses, but rather chief complaints, such as eye irritation, throat irritation and coughing.

“What we are seeing so far is really kind of mild effects,” Drenzek said. “Very, very few people have had to be admitted (to a hospital) or have had any severe outcomes.”

A spokesperson for Piedmont Rockdale’s Emergency Department said they’ve seen a number of patients be treated after reporting having itchy eyes, scratchy throats and a cough. At Conyers Pediatrics, located a few miles from the plant, Dr. Hugo Scornik said he saw children all week with symptoms related to gas exposure, including several Thursday morning.

Crews used excavators Thursday to clean up the Conyers site, where workers dressed in hard hats and bright vests navigated the destroyed plant. County fire vehicles appeared to have left the scene, and several large tankers were stationed nearby on Old Covington Highway. The haze appeared more prevalent compared to Wednesday morning. Rockdale officials said it changed colors at one point as debris was being removed at the facility.

ExploreConyers BioLab plant fire: What to know

Agencies have been monitoring the air quality since Sunday’s fire created a plume of chemical smoke.

Anyone who notices a chlorine odor in the air should limit their time outdoors, GEMA stated. Chlorine, however, has a low odor threshold, meaning people can smell it even at very low concentrations that do not cause harm, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ExploreConyers plant fire: Haze, chlorine smell likely to move toward Atlanta on Thursday

GEMA said smoke that contains chlorine compounds can cause symptoms such as eye and airway irritation, coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest tightness and headaches.

People living nearby have been advised to shelter in place every evening through early morning until Friday. Officials have not provided an update on those directives.

ExplorePublic health experts: BioLab fire poses future health, environmental problems

In a statement Wednesday night, BioLab said it was focused on remediation. The company has long enjoyed a close relationship with Rockdale County leaders.

“We have continued to make progress in mitigating the situation at our facility, and we deeply regret the impact of the incident on our community,” the statement said. “Our executive leadership team is on the ground and engaging directly with local representatives and stakeholders on how we can best provide support; we will make further updates in this regard.”

— Staff writers Taylor Croft and Rosana Hughes contributed to this article.