Memphis’ air quality got worse over the last year, according to the American Lung Association (ALA).
Shelby County posted an “F” grade for ozone smog, which pushed the Memphis metro from the 32nd-worst in the nation to 27th-worst. For comparison, Nashville ranked 66th-worst in the country for ozone pollution.
This marks the third straight year of worsening smog conditions in the Memphis metro area in the ALA’s “State of the Air” report, which said the Memphis area had 9.8 unhealthy days of ozone smog pollution. Shelby County posted the worst score for smog in Tennessee.
World-wide, smog affects the highest number of people in the U.S., according to the ALA. The toxic vapor forms when gases from tailpipes, smokestacks, factories, and other pollution sources react with sunlight. It is a powerful respiratory irritant with effects that have been likened to a sunburn of the lungs.