Pdf ocr text metadata dublin core national library of medicine 8600 rockville pike. An inversion layer settles over the rust belt town of donora, pennsylvania, trapping industrial pollution in the atmosphere. A pittsburgh media groups documentation of an infamous day in donora s history was enough to win a regional emmy. Thickening smog in donora, pa courtesy of the donora historical society. This dissertation explores how investigations of donora s smog reflected and contributed to the power of. Donora is a town located in pennsylvania, just south of pittsburgh, along the. On saturday, september th, 2014, as part of the heinz history center affiliate ambassadors series, smog museum archivist and curator brian charlton presented donora and the 1948 air quality crisis at the heinz history center in pittsburgh. A small group of jews chartered donora hebrew congregation ohav sholom on august 24, 1903 and established a cemetery in carroll township the following year. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 24. On october 29, smog from a temperature inversion and factory smoke caused one of. The orthodox congregation was among the first in the. By then, 20 people had died of what was thought to be asthma and onethird to one half of the towns 14,000 residents were suffering from respiratory problems.
Dec 15, 2019 donora police department, donora, pennsylvania. The one hour show is called mysteries at the museum check the travel channel website for the show titled eastland disaster and smuttynose murders to see when the story may be shown. Yet 1948 was an unusual situation because before also anticyclone were created but there were no toll of life. Donora is a rust belt place which has lost most of its industrial capacity. Donora pennsylvania pa map searchable index of streets. Epidemiology of the unusual smog episode of october 1948. Learn more about the pittsburghbased trio and play their music today. Although the mills have long since gone, today donora has a thriving industrial park in the footprint of the original mill. An air pollution incident in donora in 1948 spurred the installation of air quality.
Donora police department donora, pennsylvania police. You can also follow us on facebook under donora historical society and smog museum. No, this isnt a steven king story, but the real thing. An air pollution disaster over the two southwestern pennsylvania towns of donora and webster in october 1948 took dozens of lives, left thousands literally gasping for breath, and motivated the united states public health service phs to enter the arena of air pollution policy. An ordinance of the borough of donora, commonwealth of pennsylvania, fixing the tax rate for the fiscal year 1948. Apr 14, 2011 yet 1948 was an unusual situation because before also anticyclone were created but there were no toll of life. Til of the 1948 donora death fog, where a thick toxic smog sickened 7000 people and killed 20 in donora, pa. Donora, pennsylvania project gutenberg selfpublishing. Donora, pennsylvania with its zinc manufacturing plant in the background. Today in 1948, a stifling yellow smog descended on the industrial mill town of donora, pa. Producer and ringgold high school graduate, david solomon, reporter andy masich and photographer and editor paul ruggieri, created a 12minute report on the donora smog of 1948 for wqeds onq nightly news show.
The 1948 donora smog was a historic smog event that killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 7,000 people of the 14,000 population of donora, pennsylvania. It jumpstarted the fields of environmental and public health, drew attention to the need for industrial regulation, and. Donora smog disaster phmc our documentary heritage. In october 1948, the smog, caused by fluoride emissions from the donora zinc works and steel plants owned by the us steel corporation, reportedly killed 20 people while leaving many many more deathly ill. In 1948, a poisoned mixture of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and metal dust killed 20 people and sickened 7000 more in donora, pennsylvania. This site has the entire 5,672 page text of the 2008 clean air act in pdf format. In late october, 1948, donora was hit with an environmental disaster that would. The 1948 donora smog pennsylvania historical markers on.
It got its name from a combination of william donner and nora mellon, banker andrew w. Over a three day period in october of 1948 hundreds of people became sick and 21 died from a mysterious smog that had enveloped the town of donora, pennsylvania. The anniversary of the worst recorded industrial air pollution accident in us history which occurred 50 years ago this october in donora, pennsylvania will go virtually unmarked. Unesco eolss sample chapters environmental toxicology and human health vol. This created a thermal inversion that trapped emissions from the steel and zinc plants over a period of four days. A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster. On tuesday, october 26th, the people of donora, pennsylvania woke to a blanket of smoke and fog filling their streets.
The donora fluoride fog reading assignment and worksheet. Kagawa, jun encyclopedia of life support systems eolss so2 was from 9. Aug 25, 2017 in 1948, an air pollution inversion event in donora, pennsylvania, killed 20 people within 12 hours and 70 within a month. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual smog. The boroughs nickname is the home of champions, mainly because of the large number of famous athletes who. The 1948 donora smog was a historic smog event that killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 7,000 people of the 14,000 population of donora, pennsylvania, a mill town on the monongahela river 24 miles 39 km southeast of pittsburgh. In the days leading up to halloween in 1948, a pocket of cold air settled into the city of donora, pennsylvania. The donora smog disaster october 3031, 1948 images. The 1930 school building is separated from waddell avenue by a. In the early morning hours of october 26, 1948, a fog settled over the town of donora, pennsylvania, the home of u. At the end of october 1948, the communities of donora and webster in pennsylvania were visited by a smog that changed the face of environmental protection in the united states. On sunday morning the bosses at american steel and wire finally closed the plant. Thompson and ciocco also conducted a study of cancer deaths in donora from 1948 to 1957, as well as those in arsenal, pennsylvania, a district near pittsburgh. Fog was common in town when cold mountain air hit the warmer river water.
Conservative estimates showed that 20 individuals died, while an additional 590043% of the population of donora were affected by the smog. That the tax be and the same is hereby levied on all property. Founded in 1946, the society and smog museum has exhibits related to the 1948 smog tragedy, founding of. Nov 18, 2017 in 1948, a littleremembered environmental disaster shocked the world. The 1948 donora smog was the worst air pollution disaster in u. When it clears six days later, 20 people are dead, another 50 are. Download the pdf to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
The air was polluted by local steel plants, railroad yards and zinc works. The air pollution sickened about 40 percent of the towns 14,000 inhabitants. Donora is a borough in washington county, pennsylvania, united states, approximately 20 miles 32 km south of pittsburgh on the monongahela river. The donora smog disaster a problem in atmospheric pollution. Timeline of some key events related to air pollution and air quality regulation. Write one paragraph as your response to the donora incident. The event is commemorated by the donora smog museum. Aside from the 1948 smog incident, the steel mill would serve donora well for the next 60 or so years until it started to close in the late 1950s and finishing in the late 1960s. Donora historical society and smog museum facebook. News and tv donora historical society and smog museum.
Annals of medicine about the smog that blanketed the city of donora, pa. A temperature inversion sets the stage for the donora. In 1948, a littleremembered environmental disaster shocked the world. The donora historical society and smog museum was featured on the travel channel on november 1, 2011 retelling the story of bill schempp and the oxygen tanks that he used during the 1948 smog event in donora. In her 1994 doctoral dissertation the deathdealing smog over donora, pennsylvania. Public debate and corporate diplomacy in donoras fight for clean. The historically hazy story of donora s deadly smog a 1948 environmental disaster in the pennsylvania town resulted in half truths, conspiracy theories, and the introduction of clean air laws. A darkness in donora when smog killed 20 people in a pennsylvania mill town in 1948, the clean air movement got its start. Fumes from us steels smelting plants blanketed the town for four days, and crept murderously into the citizens homes.
View more property details, sales history and zestimate data on zillow. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual smog episode of october 1948. The historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog. Patients in oxygentented beds, donora, pennsylvania, november 3, 1948. The towns population has dropped to a third of what its size was 65 years ago, thanks to the closing of the zinc and steel plants that used to provide employment for many of the towns citizens. In 1948, an air pollution inversion event in donora, pennsylvania, killed 20 people within 12 hours and 70 within a month. Stan musials father lukasz already had health problems before the killer smog and died less than two months after the smog hit donora, pennsylvania, late in october of 1948. Oct 28, 2019 killer smog continues to hover over donora, pennsylvania, on october 29, 1948. Donora is a small steel mill town on a curve of the monongahela river. Donora, pennsylvania, even though this fog was particularly dense. As the day wore on, the fog became progressively thicker and witnesses even claimed that it was so thick and potent they could taste it. I case study of air pollution episodes in meuse valley of belgium, donora of pennsylvania, and london, u. The donora fluoride fog in the days leading up to halloween in 1948, a pocket of cold air settled into the city of donora, pennsylvania. An american life which mentioned that a killer smog had took 18 or more lives.
Air pollution episodes and disasters ketan wadodkar m. Oct 26, 2018 the 1948 donora smog was the worst air pollution disaster in u. Killer smog continues to hover over donora, pennsylvania, on october 29, 1948. Oct 27, 2011 in the early morning hours of october 26, 1948, a fog settled over the town of donora, pennsylvania, the home of u. The donora smog event was devastating to the town, state and country. Donora is a borough in washington county, pennsylvania, united states, approximately 20 miles 32 km south of pittsburgh on the monongahela river donora was incorporated in 1901.
World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. The event is commemorated by the donora smog museum sixty years later, the incident was described by the new york times as one of the worst air. Steel plant, but they never accepted responsibility. At the end of october 1948, the communities of donora and webster in pennsylvania were visited by a smog that changed the face of environmental protection. The acrid smog, which contained toxic levels of fluoride killed 20 residents and sickened up. Case study of air pollution episodes in meuse valley of. If you see your name among the donora high school graduates, someone is looking for you.
By the time fresh winds finally swept through the valley and blew away the smog on monday, 7,000 people had become ill nearly half the towns population. Killler smog that engulfed donora, pennsylvania in october of 1948. Over a fiveday period, the smog killed about 20 people and made thousands more seriously ill. The 1948 donora smog was a historic smog event that killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 6,000 people of the 14,000 population of donora, pennsylvania, a mill town on the monongahela river 24 miles 39 km southeast of pittsburgh. Overall, donora pennsylvania was greatly impacted by the deadly smog event in 1948. Unbeknownst to the majority of the residents, the factories that sustained their livelihood would also be the cause for illness in a large majority of the towns population and even death for some. The smog lasted about five days and killed approximately 20 people. Lois bainbridge of webster, pa, to the governor, october 31, 1948. Sep 21, 20 pennsylvania smoke disaster from 1948 theecodom. Killer smog in donora pennsylvania october 1948 youtube. Steel corporations donora zinc works and american steel and wire.