Shut Down BioLab! Stop Corporations from Poisoning People and the Planet!

On September 29, 2024, a catastrophic fire erupted at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, releasing chlorine and hazardous chemicals into the air. The plume of toxic smoke was seen from miles away. Major news outlets falsely reported the evacuation of 17,000 people, but federal and local governments did not mobilize to follow through on any evacuation process. Working class people in Rockdale County and beyond have been left to suffer burning eyes, skin, breathing problems, and still unknown long-term health effects.

The situation is urgent: we demand the immediate shutdown of BioLab and compensation for the workers and all impacted.

The government enabled KIK Consumer Products, BioLab’s parent company, to forego essential safety protocols for years while extracting billions in profits – despite chemical fires and hazardous incidents recorded as recently as 2020, 2016, and 2004.

We demand immediate action:

    1. Shut down BioLab immediately. The facility poses an imminent danger to public health.
    2. Full compensation for all workers and residents affected by the chemical fire. This includes medical care for those suffering from exposure, relocation assistance, and financial compensation for lost wages, housing, and livelihood.
    3. A comprehensive evacuation plan and stipends to cover all expenses for anyone unable to work due to the toxic smoke and chemical exposure. No one should have to choose between their job and their health.
    4. Declare a state of emergency in the Metro Atlanta area, and provide transportation and temporary housing, and permanent housing if necessary, for those displaced by this disaster. Federal and state agencies must step in immediately to offer resources.
    5. Organize a large-scale cleanup initiative to prioritize the removal of hazardous chemicals and toxic substances from the air, water, soil, and surrounding infrastructure. There must be regular public reports on decontamination progress and the types and quantities of materials removed.
    6. Prosecute and jail KIK Consumer Products executives responsible for this disaster. The CEO, board members, and anyone responsible for this avoidable fire should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Chemical fires should not be business as usual. At all levels of government, whether it’s federal or county, Democrat or Republican, all have been aligned on business as usual at the expense of public health. From Mayor Dickens downplaying the impacts of “chlorine smell” to Rockdale County issuing a shelter-in-place order only for non-work hours, these advisories are crafted to minimize economic disruption. Under capitalism, business as usual means working people sacrifice their health so the rich can get richer.

The disaster in Conyers is not an isolated event. Just like when Norfolk Southern’s massive train derailment spewed toxic chemicals in East Palestine, the capitalists create disasters and working class people are left to suffer the consequences. Nor is each incident geographically isolated – toxic pollution can travel thousands of miles beyond its origin site.

Billions for war but none for disaster relief? Only days after leaving people to fend for themselves in the wake of Hurricane Helene that has left entire cities and communities destroyed, the government is again washing its hands of responsibility when the BioLab chemical disaster hit Georgia. The same week that FEMA is reported to have a $9 billion shortfall for Hurricane Helene recovery, Biden approved $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine to carry out a proxy war against Russia and $8.7 billion to Israel to continue its genocide of the Palestinian people.

Both major Parties in Congress fund their imperialist wars abroad to secure the interests of the U.S. billionaires and corporations with hundreds of billions of our tax dollars, while abandoning working class here at home. Not one more penny to kill working class people in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe! Fund people’s needs, not the U.S. war machine!

Each crisis – whether it’s climate catastrophe, war, or crumbling housing, healthcare, or infrastructure –  is a symptom of the capitalist system. The overlapping, accelerating nature of the crises is an inevitable product of a system that puts the billionaires’ chase for profits above everything else.

Working class people in Conyers, across Georgia, and the country deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment. We should have the power to protect the health of our communities. An organized people’s movement must build pressure on the government to shut down BioLab once and for all.

Sign this petition to demand the immediate shutdown of BioLab and compensation for all people impacted.

 

59 signatures

Will you sign?

or Text BIOLAB to +12029295669 to sign
Go to Top