Resident speaks out against data center during Community Voices session
A Whitehaven resident says emissions he associates with xAI's Colossus data centers have worsened his breathing and contributed to serious health problems. He argues prevailing winds carry pollution toward his home and says he has altered how he uses his house while trying to move away.
During an ABC24 Memphis Community Voices session, Whitehaven resident Mr. Wright described experiencing severe breathing problems and a cardiac emergency after the Colossus data centers began operating. He said the facilities, which he identified as xAI's Colossus 1 and 2, are about five and eight miles from his home in the 38116 area.
Wright said his neighborhood already lies in an industrial pollution corridor that includes Tennessee Valley Authority facilities, a steel operation, a refinery and waste-management sites. He believes prevailing winds carry emissions northeast toward Whitehaven and said he now sleeps on an air mattress, uses air filters and has upgraded his home's HVAC filtration in an effort to limit exposure. His comments represent active community opposition based on claimed health and environmental impacts; the video does not establish an official finding linking the data centers to his medical condition.