Oct 27, 2011 on this day, the 63rd anniversary of the donora death fog, lets all take a deep breath and be glad that we can. From the ballad death in donora, recorded by folklorist dan hoffman folks in pittsburgh, johnstown, connellsville and the other steel and mining towns of western pennsylvania were used to smog. Students will build awareness of past air pollution disasters by. In late october 1948 the monongahela river valley town of donora, pennsylvania was subsumed in a noxious smog. Donora smog museum 2020 all you need to know before you go. August 20 donora digs deep to help the local community.
The deadly donora smog of 1948 spurred environmental. Special thanks to the donora smog museum, the donora historical society, and the library of congress teaching with primary sources program at california university of pennsylvania for use of their donora digital collection. 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. Frederick encyclopedia of life support systems eolss pollutants. The donora smog event resulted in an estimated 25 deaths after a temperature inversion occurred, trapping high concentrations. Donora death smog lives in novel, after the fog plum. Air pollution in donora download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. Thickening smog in donora, pa courtesy of the donora historical society. Nov 14, 2012 what atmospheric phenomenon prompted the 1948 smog episode in donora, pennsylvania. The historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog. Externalities and air quality the 1948 donora smog was.
Eas%20air% 20pollution%20phys%20chemdonora%20pa%20episode. The air was polluted by local steel plants, railroad yards and zinc works. The historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog atlas. View and download lists of nonprofit companies in the zip code of 15033 donora pa with statistics on assets, income, revenues, 501c classifications, form 990s. Also, sulfur dioxide emissions have dropped 35 percent and carbon monoxide levels have fallen 32 percent. Donora is a town located in pennsylvania, just south of pittsburgh, along the.
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. The cause of the donora smog event of 1948 was in debate for a long time. Overall, donora pennsylvania was greatly impacted by the deadly smog event in 1948. Matt has also represented the plant at the donora smog museums 65th anniversary commemoration. The 1948 donora smog was the worst air pollution disaster in u. May 24, 2012 the donora smog disaster and the clean air act of 1970. Nov 01, 2017 the donora killer smog introduced the word smog into the us lexiconand the idea that it could kill you, or shorten your life by making you ill, which is now a basic scientific fact. Nov 29, 2017 the historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog a 1948 environmental disaster in the pennsylvania town resulted in half truths, conspiracy theories, and the introduction of clean air laws. 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. The donora smog event was devastating to the town, state and country. Hotels near donora smog museum, donora on tripadvisor. The donora smog of 1948 was a historic air inversion pall of smog that killed 20 and sickened 7,000 people in donora, pennsylvania, united states, a mill town on the monongahela river, 24 miles southeast of pittsburgh.
Donora smog disaster phmc our documentary heritage. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 262k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. While during that last week in october the town seemed to be in chaos from the outside, reports from the pittsburgh postgazette from november 1, 1948 said otherwise. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutantsmostly arising from the use of coalto form a thick layer of smog over the city. Bodies were stored in the donora hotel, one of the towns historic structures still standing on the same road as the donora smog museum, opened in 2009 to keep alive the memory and lessons of.
The book features a two page spread that shows the smog museum image, as well a brief story on the 1948 smog and a mention of the donora historical society, the smog museum and this website. Best hotels near donora smog museum, pennsylvania tripadvisor. Donoras mills belch forth smoke and other substances in a picture from the donora smog museum. Formatin and effects of smog encyclopedia of life support. View all hotels near donora smog museum on tripadvisor. The clean air act has prevented another incident like that of the donora smog of 1948 and the london fog of 1952. Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. 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. Cleaner air is legacy left by donoras killer 1948 smog. The smog may have been an environmental disaster, but in the end, it helped save more people from air pollution. Weather and geography affect the location and severity of smog. The donora smog disaster october 3031, 1948 images. In fact, since the acts inception, emissions of toxic lead in the united states have dropped 98 percent. The great smog of london, or great smog of 1952, was a severe airpollution event that affected the british capital of london in early december 1952.
The 1948 donora smog was an air pollution disaster in the city of donora. This site has the entire 5,672 page text of the 2008 clean air act in pdf format. Death smog in donora, pennsylvania reading comprehension. Donora historical society and smog museum facebook. Although the mills have long since gone, today donora has a thriving industrial park in the footprint of the original mill.
The donora smog event was devastating to the community, however this event helped create the air pollution control act in 1955 and further developed the clean air acts. The smog first rolled into donora on october 27, 1948. The donora killer smog introduced the word smog into the us lexiconand the idea that it could kill you, or shorten your life by making you ill, which is now a basic scientific fact. How to reference websites using bibliography style ieeetr. The donora smog helped raise awareness of air pollution and its deadly effects on human beings and has even been credited with jumpstarting the clean air movement in the united states. Donora s 1948 smog predates that 1952 event by four years and they discuss donora during that specific show. Lois bainbridge of webster, pa, to the governor, october 31, 1948.
Founded in 1946, the society and smog museum has exhibits related to the 1948 smog tragedy, founding of. Killer smog in donora pennsylvania october 1948 duration. The smog lasted about five days and killed approximately 20 people. Smog meant that the mills were running and the coke ovens burning. The donora fluoride fog a secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster this article appears in the fall 1998 earth island journal, by chris bryson. Donora, we visit survivors bill and gladys schempp. They soon learned that 20 people were dead and half the town was sick.
View essay externalities and air quality from geography 102 at california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo. The event is commemorated by the donora smog museum. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Residents had to keep lights on all day and the high school. As residents of a township that relied on two major industrial plants for their livelihood, the citizens of donora were no strangers to heavy pollution from the american steel and wire plant and the donora zinc works. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 955k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. 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. A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster. Until october 1948, smoke belching from industrial plants in donora and elsewhere was considered little more than a daily nuisance. You may not have heard of the donora death fog, but if you are. Townsend presented at a joint session of the american school health association and the engineering, epidemiology, industrial hygiene, and school health sections of the american public health association at the seventyseventh annual meeting in new york, n. Apr 22, 2009 smog deaths in 1948 led to clean air laws on oct. Environmental protection agencys region iii office in philadelphia, people thought of smog as a nuisance.
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. Death of 15 laid to smog and at least 50 ill in pittsburgh area. It jumpstarted the fields of environmental and public health, drew. Many credit the literary works of henry david thoreau or teddy roosevelts patronage of national parks as the roots of the green movement in the us. 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. Donora, pennsylvania smog disaster the front page has one column headings. The donora smog was one of the incidents where americans recognized that exposure to large amounts.
A temperature inversion sets the stage for the donora. Print a read and math workbook with death smog in donora, pennsylvania reading comprehension. Before donora, declares marcia spink, associate director for air programs for the u. The trace gas species formed in photochemical smog include the secondary oxidants ozone, pans, and inorganic sulfuric and nitric acids. Hygiene of the public health service into the smog episode that occurred last fall in the town of donora, pa. I just typed \nocitedonorasmog and all my sources displayed their respective urls. Public debate and corporate diplomacy in donoras fight for clean. Dec 12, 2016 this feature is not available right now.
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. The donora smog disaster and the clean air act of 1970. This dissertation explores how investigations of donora s smog reflected and contributed to the power of. What was the significance of the smog episodes in donora, pennsylvania, and london. The 1948 donora smog was a historic smog event that killed 20 people and caused respiratory. Other news, sports and advertisements of the day throughout including front page reporting on operation hiram.
Cleaner air is legacy left by donora s killer 1948 smog. Click download or read online button to get air pollution in donora book now. Sep 16, 2019 signage inside the donora smog museum. Pennsylvania, where the natural fog of donoras monongahela river became. The historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog a 1948 environmental disaster in the pennsylvania town resulted in half truths, conspiracy theories, and the introduction of clean air laws. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Air pollution tragedy lesson plan ventura county air pollution. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can occur more quickly and be more severe on a hot, sunny day.
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