Fire safety review could pose hurdle to Sterigenics reopening
Cobb County is reviewing Sterigenics’ fire safety plan and could require the plant to remain closed pending upgrades to its Smyrna-area facility.
Until recently, the medical sterilization plant, which uses ethylene oxide, a combustible, carcinogenic gas, was listed with the fire marshal as a storage facility.
Since Sterigenics closed in August to install new pollution controls, Cobb has reclassified the plant as high hazard industrial.
That category comes with its own specific requirements for things like emergency exits and automatic fire suppression systems.
The county is preparing to send notification to Sterigenics.
"The letter is just a formal notice to Sterigenics that the county is basically going to keep them closed until we're certain that they've met all the county code requirements and the fire marshal requirements," Commissioner Bob Ott said in a video posted by the county.
Cobb will bring in a consultant to review fire safety standards at the plant.
Kevin Chambers of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division said building code and fire safety were county matters. He said a review of the relevant laws did not find any requirement for the EPD to conduct an environmental assessment based on the fire marshal’s classification.
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Meris Lutz is a contributing writer covering climate, the environment and the economy. She is particularly interested in stories that explore the intersections between climate change and labor, markets, health, biodiversity, government transparency and public access to natural resources.
