Aroma of Tacoma - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org

I saw this article at BoingBoing, and had to look it up.

From Wikipedia:

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]

  • Suck_on_my_PresenceEnglish
    65·
    2 days ago

    If you’ve ever been near a paper plant, then you’d understand the horrible smell.

    Driving through that stretch is such a shock if you’re not ready for it. It smells like cooking fish and broccoli in a microwave to me. Rotton broccoli fart smell.

    • thisbenzingring@lemmy.todayEnglish
      152·
      2 days ago

      That is part of it, also the Puget Sound is kinda like pushing everything to the south with the weather and the tides.

      Thankfully it’s better these days. It was absolutely dreadful in the 70s and 80s

    • gramie@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      Saint John, New Brunswick also used to have a terrible smell from the pulp mill. Last time I was there I didn’t notice it, so maybe they have cleaned it up.

      It’s specific to chemicals used in the Kraft process for making wood pulp. Other Mills might use at different process, with their own issues (like SO2 gas).