Chattanooga’s air quality is better, but is it good enough?

A group of friends enjoy the view from Rock City on Lookout Mountain. Chattanooga has made measurable strides in the improvement of the area's air quality.

By Steve Johnson November 10, 2015 5 min read

Chattanooga has cut year-round particle pollution [soot] levels significantly.

According to a Hamilton County Health Department report last week, Chattanooga – a city ranked worst in the nation for air pollution in 1969 – has not had a single day of unhealthy air since 2012.

So why did the American Lung Association give the Scenic City a flunking grade of “F” in April for much of that same time period?

Bad air days

1996 — 81997 — 81998 — 291999 — 152000 — 122001 — 42002 — 202003 — 42004 — 12005 — 22006 — 72007 — 62008 — 72009 — 22010 — 72011 — 52012 — 52013 — 02014 — 02015 — 0

Friends Stephanie Wright, left, from Kingsville, Mo., and Nicole Gordon, of Ooltewah, Tenn., look out over the Tennessee Valley while visiting Point Park atop Lookout Mountain.

The answer depends on who is measuring what and when, according to Bob Colby, director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Board, which provided data for the health department report.