Download the pdf to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables. Air pollution episode donora, pennsylvania, located near pittsburgh, was the site of two us steel facilities. Donora is a borough in washington county, pennsylvania, united states, approximately 20 miles 32 km south of pittsburgh on the monongahela river. View the number and percentages of married and divorced residents 15 years and older, including 1,203 families with and without children. The detroit news, october 31, 1948 donora, pennsylvania smog disaster the front page has one column headings. Cement city donora historical society and smog museum. Clicking one of your friends will give you locations that you can get back in touch with the fellow graduate. 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.
Annals of medicine about the smog that blanketed the city of donora, pa. Death cloud envelops pennsylvania mill town donora zinc works of the 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. Air pollution tragedy lesson plan ventura county air pollution. Donora, pennsylvania with its zinc manufacturing plant in the background. Donora, pennsylvania, even though this fog was particularly dense. 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. Donora, pennsylvania smog killed 26 people and proved the. Donora, we visit survivors bill and gladys schempp. Graphite soiled, torn at right edge, wrinkled at upper edge, taped at upper edge on verso. An inversion layer settles over the rust belt town of donora, pennsylvania, trapping industrial pollution in the atmosphere.
The donora smog event was devastating to the town, state and country. The air was polluted by local steel plants, railroad yards and zinc works. The 1948 donora smog a summary of events 1948 deadly 45 day smog of sulfur, carbon monoxide and heavy metal dusts, was trapped by weather conditions in the narrow river valley in donora london smog 1952, 4,000 deaths resulted in this smog event caused by the same pollutants as donora publicity of these events gave rise to. 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 next year, president harry truman called for the first. The donora zinc works closed in 1957 after years of lawsuits stemming from a deadly smog incident in 1948 and the increasing obsolescence of its industrial process. The jewish population of donora declined after world war ii. 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. Overall, donora pennsylvania was greatly impacted by the deadly smog event in 1948.
The listing of alumni from donora, pa includes graduates from 2 schools. Donora public library 510 meldon ave donora, pa libraries. Browse photos, see new properties, get open house info, and research neighborhoods on trulia. Stay on mckean for two red lights to arrive at your destination. Donora ranks in the upper quartile for diversity index when compared to the other cities, towns and census designated places cdps in pennsylvania. Donora, pa peer comparisons by rank and percentile. High school alumni in donora, pennsylvania pa class. Donora area historical tornado activity is slightly below pennsylvania state average. The smog lasted about five days and killed approximately 20 people. Click download or read online button to get air pollution in donora book now. 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 event is commemorated by the donora smog museum.
Revisiting donora, pennsylvanias 1948 air pollution disaster. Donora has a rich history and the donora historical society has been preserving that history since 1946. A location that ranks higher than 75% of its peers would be in the 75th percentile of the peer. The 1948 donora smog donora pa us historical marker. Available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image. Staying right puts you on mckean avenue and your journey to some of the most unique history in the usa.
Townsend, chief of the division of industrial hygiene, and by the assistant chief, j. Please learn more about our history while visiting this website, our facebook page donora historical society adn smog museum, or stop by our museum to see our vast collection of artifacts related to our town next to yours the best town. The company continued to operate years after the donora smog of 1948. Air pollution in donora download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. Photograph of downtown donora, pennsylvania taken at noon during an. The table below compares donora to the other 1,761 incorporated cities, towns and cdps in pennsylvania by rank and percentile using july 1, 2019 data. Order online tickets tickets see availability directions. Building cement city, donora, pennsylvania, 191617, a subject near and dear to our hearts about donora s national historic district. To filter results, select a donora, pa high school using the links to the right. Donora real estate donora pa homes for sale zillow. Death of 15 laid to smog and at least 50 ill in pittsburgh area. The donora historical society taught the final pittosher session class on april 11, 2018 on the pitt campus in oakland and that evenings session was titled, thomas edisons concrete vision. Historical zinc smelting in new jersey, pennsylvania.
Duff on october 31, 1948, calls for government intervention in a deadly industrial accident. View our donora real estate area information to learn about the weather, local school districts, demographic data, and general information about donora, pa. The historical society and library have been collaborating over the past years on various projects and we think we could be more. If you have moved business from one municipality to another during the tax year, you may have incurred an. A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster. This sign, refurbished in 2019, greets visitors as they come across the stan the man musial bridge into donora. A climate graph showing rainfall, temperatures and normals. In the days leading up to halloween in 1948, a pocket of cold air settled into the city of donora, pennsylvania. They soon learned that 20 people were dead and half the town was. We provide answers to over 2 million searches every day, helping 35 million users. The donora zinc works, donora, pa, november 3, 1948. An episode in donora, pennsylvania, in 1948 is an example. Donora weather averages and climate donora, pennsylvania.
Generalized flow diagram of the donora zinc plant, at donora, pennsylvania circa 1948. Other news, sports and advertisements of the day throughout including front page reporting on operation hiram. Zillow has 31 homes for sale in donora pa matching. Donora is a borough in washington county, pennsylvania, united states, approximately 20 miles south of pittsburgh on the monongahela river. The article titled donora residents calm in spite of fatal smog, said that on the streets of donora youngsters continued their games of touch football and rode their bikes. Donora public library 510 meldon ave donora pa 15033. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual. Climate donora pennsylvania and weather averages donora. They soon learned that 20 people were dead and half the. Apr 14, 2011 detailed description of all varieties of air pollution episodes happened through out the world which in future responsible for clean air act. 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. Learn more about the pittsburghbased trio and play their music today. The donora social characteristics data of 1,968 households, which make up 0.
Not until october 31 did the donora zinc works shut down its furnacesjust hours before rain finally dispersed the smog. This site has the entire 5,672 page text of the 2008 clean air act in pdf format. The american steel and wire company mill closed in 1962. The boroughs nickname is the home of champions, mainly because of the large number of famous athletes who. Killler smog that engulfed donora, pennsylvania in october of 1948. A story from the harts 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. Public debate and corporate diplomacy in donoras fight for clean. The zinc works reopened the next week, but business in pennsylvania and the nation did not return to normal. Browse mls listings in donora and take real estate virtual tours at realtor. 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.
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 public records, white pages and other directories in all 50 states. Donora is a decaying town, yet another western pennsylvania borough hit by hard times. 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. Donora, birthplace of the griffeys and stan musial, is a. In october 1948, emissions from these facilities during unusual weather conditions led to a severe and. Historical zinc smelting in new jersey, pennsylvania, virginia, west virginia, and washington, d. Click download or read online button to get golden jubilee of the borough of donora book now. Apr 22, 2009 smog deaths in 1948 led to clean air laws on oct. In 2016, the donora historical society was approached by the donora public library with an ambitious plan to build an addition to their current building to house the donora historical society and smog museum, and the research collections of both organizations. Donora, pennsylvania, located near pittsburgh, was the site of two us steel facilities. Normal business expenses are not to be used as exemptions. 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 fluoride fog reading assignment and worksheet. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
An american life which mentioned that a killer smog had took 18 or more lives. Steel corporations donora zinc works and american steel and wire. When it clears six days later, 20 people are dead, another 50 are. Monthly temperature, precipitation and hours of sunshine. 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. The borough of donora had a population of 4,618 as of july 1, 2019. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual smog. In the early morning hours of october 26, 1948, a fog settled over the town of donora, pennsylvania, the home of u. In fact, donora zinc works did not close until 1956. Golden jubilee of the borough of donora download ebook. A pollution disaster unprecedented in american history, the donora death fog, made air pollution a national concern. Industrial air pollution, public health policy, and the politics of expertise, 19481949. Scheele, surgeon general of the united states public health service. This created a thermal inversion that trapped emissions from the steel and zinc plants over a period of four days.
The donora alumni list on this page come from a variety of sources. Epidemiology of the unusual smog episode of october 1948. The mills continued to stay open in donora because they employed half of the towns residents. 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. In late october of 1948, a heavy fog blanketed this valley, and as the days passed, the fog became a thick, acrid smog that left about 20 people dead and thousands ill. 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. Donora, 1948 179 factors of meso and micrometeorology have on occasion hindered atmospheric mixing to such an extent that episodes of severe air pollution have been ex perienced. Get in touch with a donora real estate agent who can help you find the home of your dreams in donora. Atmospheric conditions in the vicinity of donora, pennsylvania, contributed to the deaths of nineteen people within a 24hour period. Steel corporation is dimly seen through fumeladen smoke and fog. 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 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. It got its name from a combination of william donner and nora mellon, banker andrew w.
But its also the birthplace of the griffeys and stan musial, and thats something that keeps. The deleterious effect of air pollution on health has been recognized since many years, especially after episodes that occurred in meuse, belgium in 1930 1, donora, pennsylvania in 1948 2 and. Killer smog the story of 26 sudden deaths in 1948 is a bleak reminder of why america needs clean air laws. Nov 01, 2017 donora, pennsylvaniawith its zinc manufacturing plant in the background. Donora, washington county, pennsylvania, 1901 library of. Donora, pennsylvania smog killed 26 people and proved the us.
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