August 20, 2025 3:59 PM
Updated: August 21, 2025 10:27 AM
Documents show the EPA tracked whistleblower Scott Smith from East Palestine, Ohio to Conyers, Georgia where he tested soil and water after the BioLab fire in 2024.
Records released to the public on Aug. 18, 2025, suggest the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitored and downplayed testing done by an environmental activist, Scott Smith, who traveled to Georgia last year to test for water and soil contamination after the fire at the BioLab facility.
BioLab, a chemical plant in Conyers, Ga., about 25 miles east of Atlanta, manufactured products to clean pools and spas. The facility caught fire on Sept. 29, 2024, sending a plume of smoke into the air forcing evacuations and shelter-in-place orders. Nearly a year later, residents are still pressing for answers about what was released into the air and how it might affect their health which we explore as part of GPB’s continuing reporting on the disaster.
