Report: After Improvements, Air Quality In Metro Atlanta Gets Worse

After years of improvement, metro Atlanta’s air quality has grown worse in terms of ozone and short-term particle pollution, according to a new American Lung Association report, using data from the years 2014 through 2016.

David Goldman / Associated Press file

Metro Atlanta used to pile up a ton of bad air quality days. They came so often that ‘’Smog Alert’’ popped up as a regular part of summertime conversation.

In recent years, though, the American Lung Association reported the air quality in metro Atlanta and Georgia to be improving, in the wake of regulations on emissions from power plants and vehicles.

Last year, in fact, the Lung Association said metro Atlanta had the fewest ozone days reported since the group’s report began 18 years ago, when Atlanta was on the list of the top 25 metro areas for ozone pollution, the main factor in smog.