Aroma of Tacoma

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The city of Tacoma is known for its putrid smell, dubbed the "Aroma of Tacoma".

The "Aroma of Tacoma", also known as the Tacoma Aroma, is a putrid and unpleasant odor associated with Tacoma, Washington, United States.[1] The smell has been described as similar to the odor of rotten eggs.[2] The odor is not noticeable throughout the city, but is rather concentrated in the Tacoma Tideflats and is frequently smelled by motorists traveling that section of Interstate 5.[2]

History and origins[edit]

The odor has been commonly known by the name "Aroma of Tacoma" since at least the early 1940s. However, there are instances of the word "aroma" being associated with Tacoma dating back to 1901 when local resident George Francis Train penned a civic cheer:[3][4]

Seattle! Seattle! Death Rattle, Death Rattle; Tacoma! Tacoma! Aroma, Aroma!

A variety of causes have been attributed to the Aroma of Tacoma, including sediment in Commencement Bay, sulfur released from the Simpson Tacoma Kraft pulp and paper mill,[5][6] a rendering plant, the U.S. Oil refinery, or a combination of all of these factors.[2] In 1997, the odor was exacerbated for several weeks after municipal officials unsealed a sewage tank that had not been opened in 15 years during the height of a stretch of humid weather.[7] By the early 2000s, the odor had been lessened, but not eliminated, after the Tacoma Kraft pulp and paper mill installed new combustion technologies.[8] The WestRock paper mill closed in September 2023.[9]

Local impact[edit]

The Aroma of Tacoma has been cited as the reason behind jokes about Tacoma, once frequently made by residents elsewhere in Western Washington.[10] Research in 2003 suggested the Aroma of Tacoma had contributed to a long-term depression of housing prices in the city.[11] Journalist and author Timothy Egan called it "one of the longest lasting nicknames in the Pacific Northwest" and used it as an example of the many consequences of environmental destruction along Puget Sound.[12]

During a concert stop at the Tacoma Dome in the mid-1980s, Bruce Springsteen reported the odor was so overwhelming that he was forced to leave town early.[2][13] A local doctor said the noxious fumes were unhealthful.[13] The EPA said the smell was due to total reduced sulfur emitted by the downtown paper mill (1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Tacoma Dome).[13]

Popular culture and public science[edit]

In the 1960s, Jim Torrence and Don Lemon with Diamond Jim and the Jazzmasters released a 45 rpm novelty single titled "The Aroma of Tacoma."[14]

A rugby tournament held since the 1970s is called the "Tacoma Aroma",[15] as well as a hip-hop band from the Tacoma area.[16]

The Pacific Science Center held a symposium called "The science behind Tacoma's Aroma" in 2011.[17]

The 1979 Frank Zappa song "Jewish Princess" mentions a "garlic aroma that could level Tacoma".

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sailor, Craig (December 12, 2011). "The science behind Tacoma's Aroma". Tacoma News Tribune. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Egan, Timothy (April 3, 1988). "Tacoma Journal; On Good Days, the Smell Can Hardly Be Noticed". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Balzar, John (September 30, 1991). "Residents aim to sweeten the aroma of Tacoma". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  4. ^ Crowley, Walt; Wilma, David (January 17, 2003). "Tacoma - Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "3 pulp mills ask compliance extension". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 29, 1972. p. 23. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "Tacoma plant plans to install new boiler". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 23, 1989. p. 6C. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Mapes, Lynda (September 6, 1997). "A New Scent For Tacoma's Aroma". Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  8. ^ Shaw, Monica (July 1, 2003). "Simpson Tacoma Kraft Reaps Rewards from Recovery Boiler and Precipitator Upgrades". Pulp and Paper Magazine.
  9. ^ Fonseca, Camilo (August 23, 2023). "Mill tied to the 'aroma of Tacoma' to close, cut 400 jobs". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023. Tacoma's paper mill, located at the mouth of the Puyallup River, is well known in local lore as the supposed source of the "Aroma of Tacoma," the putrid odor that once permeated the city. According to Elizabeth Korsmo, curator for the Tacoma Historical Society, as early as the 1930s people were complaining about the foul stench, and the mill's role in creating it.
  10. ^ Samson, Karl (2004). Frommer's Washington. John Wiley & Sons. p. 201. ISBN 9780764571343.
  11. ^ McMillen, Daniel P.; Thorsnes, Paul (2003). "The Aroma of Tacoma: Time-Varying Average Derivatives and the Effect of a Superfund Site on House Prices". Journal of Business & Economic Statistics. 21 (2): 237–246. doi:10.1198/073500103288618927. S2CID 155035805.
  12. ^ Egan, Timothy (1990). The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Vintage Departures. p. 129. ISBN 9780679734857.
  13. ^ a b c "EPA lists air as unhealthful: Complaints cite "Tacoma Aroma"". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. April 1, 1985. p. 3C. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
  14. ^ "Tacoma's Aroma May Be Doomed". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. June 14, 1972. p. 61. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Google News Archive.
  15. ^ Helling, Jeremy (July 30, 2013). "Nomads take third at the Tacoma Aroma". Tacoma Weekly. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.,
  16. ^ Mizell Jr., Larry (December 10, 2010). "Tacoma's 2010 In Hiphop". The Stranger. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  17. ^ Sailor, Craig (December 12, 2011). "The science behind Tacoma's Aroma". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.

Further reading[edit]

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