Browse photos, see new properties, get open house info, and research neighborhoods on trulia. The 1948 donora smog donora pa historical marker project. By 1948, there were 14,000 people in donora, and thousands more in the surrounding areas. A darkness in donora when smog killed 20 people in a pennsylvania mill town in 1948, the clean air movement got its start. Death of 15 laid to smog and at least 50 ill in pittsburgh area. A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster.
Killer smog the story of 26 sudden deaths in 1948 is a bleak reminder of why america needs clean air laws. Download the pdf to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables. On a sunday evening at the end of october 1948, famed radio broadcaster walter winchell took to the airwaves and alerted the nation to an emergency then happening in donora, pennsylvania. Webster, pennsylvania the workingclass neighbors who lived downwind of donoras smoky zinc mill had long feared the air was slowly killing.
Killler smog that engulfed donora, pennsylvania in october of 1948. Donora is a town located in pennsylvania, just south of pittsburgh, along the. Tax rates can have a big impact when comparing cost of living. In the early morning hours of october 26, 1948, a fog settled over the town of donora, pennsylvania, the home of u. 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.
The mills continued to stay open in donora because they employed half of the towns residents. In fact, donora zinc works did not close until 1956. But its also the birthplace of the griffeys and stan musial, and thats something that keeps its. There are 2,449 people per square mile aka population density. The acrid smog, which contained toxic levels of fluoride killed 20 residents and sickened up. The 1948 donora smog was a historic air inversion that resulted in a wall of smog that killed 20 people and sickened 7,000 more in donora, pennsylvania, a mill town on the monongahela river, 24 miles 39 km southeast of pittsburgh. The boroughs nickname is the home of champions, mainly because of the large number of famous athletes who. An inversion layer settles over the rust belt town of donora, pennsylvania, trapping industrial pollution in the atmosphere. On sunday morning the bosses at american steel and wire finally closed the plant. Atmospheric conditions in the vicinity of donora, pennsylvania, contributed to the deaths of nineteen people within a 24hour period. Conservative estimates showed that 20 individuals died, while an additional 590043% of the population of donorawere affected by the smog. 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. The orthodox congregation was among the first in the.
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. The air was polluted by local steel plants, railroad yards and zinc works. Donora is a borough in washington county, pennsylvania, united states, approximately 20 miles south of. My mother, june, second from left, with her sister and parents on her wedding day in in 1952 in webster, pennsylvania, across the monongahela river from the infamous donora zinc works. By scott beveridge observerreporter, washington, pa.
Climate donora pennsylvania and weather averages donora. The company continued to operate years after the donora smog of 1948. Other news, sports and advertisements of the day throughout including front page reporting on operation hiram. 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. View the number and percentages of married and divorced residents 15 years and older, including 1,203 families with and without children.
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. In the days leading up to halloween in 1948, a pocket of cold air settled into the city of donora, pennsylvania. 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. Today in 1948, a stifling yellow smog descended on the industrial mill town of donora, pa. The 10 best donora hotel deals apr 2020 tripadvisor. United states of america buy united states of america flags at. It got its name from a combination of william donner and nora mellon, banker andrew w. Conservative estimates showed that 20 individuals died, while an additional 590043% of the population of donora were affected by the smog. The detroit news, october 31, 1948 donora, pennsylvania smog disaster the front page has one column headings.
This dissertation explores how investigations of donoras smog reflected and contributed to the power of. In late october, 1948, donora was hit with an environmental disaster that would. In 1948, a poisoned mixture of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and metal dust killed 20 people and sickened 7000 more in donora, pennsylvania. Donoraarea historical tornado activity is slightly below pennsylvania state average. An impenetrable, toxic, and ultimately lethal fog had blanketed the steel mill center during the previous week and had silently infected its residents.
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. Public debate and corporate diplomacy in donoras fight for clean. Whitepages provides the top free people search and tenant screening tool online with contact information for over 250 million people including cell phone numbers and complete background check data compiled from. When smog killed 20 people in a pennsylvania mill town in 1948, the clean air movement got its start. Steel corporations donora zinc works and american steel and wire. Most of the residents were of russian, german, and polish descent and worked in the steel mills. 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. Til of the 1948 donora death fog, where a thick toxic smog sickened 7000 people and killed 20 in donora, pa. Patients in oxygentented beds, donora, pennsylvania, november 3, 1948. Although the mills have long since gone, today donora has a thriving industrial park in the footprint of the original mill. Discover donora, pennsylvania with the help of your friends. Thickening smog in donora, pa courtesy of the donora historical society. 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. Check out tripadvisor members 8 candid photos and videos of landmarks, hotels, and attractions in donora.
Steel plant, but they never accepted responsibility. The founding of donora by minister of culture findery. Overall, donora pennsylvania was greatly impacted by the deadly smog event in 1948. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual smog. 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, pa 15033 washington county buy pennsylvania state flags at. The donora social characteristics data of 1,968 households, which make up 0. Theres a lot of great information about this area on the blog of scott beveridge, who grew up in the area and whose blog had the photograph below. This site has the entire 5,672 page text of the 2008 clean air act in pdf format. This created a thermal inversion that trapped emissions from the steel and zinc plants over a period of four days. Smog mortal en donora, pensilvania free worksheets and. Zillow has 26 homes for sale in donora pa matching.
Epidemiology of the unusual smog episode of october 1948. With a special emphasis on air pollution and its longterm effects, davis anecdotally talks about some of the most infamous smogs and fogs of all time, including the donora fog october 26, 1948 that left a small zincfactory town in pennsylvania blanketed in a thick, toxic fog for over a week. 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. Donora photos featured images of donora, pa tripadvisor. The donora fluoride fog reading assignment and worksheet. In late october 1948 the monongahela river valley town of donora, pennsylvania was subsumed in a noxious smog. Donora real estate donora pa homes for sale zillow. Duff on october 31, 1948, calls for government intervention in a deadly industrial accident. 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. By the time fresh winds finally swept through the valley and blew away the smog on monday, 7,000 people had become ill.
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