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Donora Death Fog: Catalyst for Air Laws

Apr 17, 2025

Donora Death Fog: The Crisis that Led to Modern Air Pollution Laws

Introduction

  • Event: Donora Death Fog, 1948
  • Location: Donora, Pennsylvania
  • Impact: 20 dead, half the town hospitalized
  • Cause: Atmospheric inversion trapping toxic gases

Sequence of Events

  • Date: October 26-31, 1948
  • Initial Observation: Fog over Donora, thickening by the day
  • Impact on Daily Life:
    • Visibility reduced to almost nothing
    • Firefighters unable to navigate
    • High school football game visibility issues
    • U.S. Steel plants ceased operations on October 30
  • Aftermath: Permanent respiratory damage among survivors

Causes

  • Weather Patterns:
    • An anticyclone replaced a storm system
    • Resulted in a high-pressure system
    • Temperature inversion in the Monongahela River Valley
  • Industrial Pollution:
    • Emissions from U.S. Steel’s Donora Zinc Works
    • Pollutants included zinc, cadmium, lead, hydrofluoric acid, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide

Health and Environmental Consequences

  • Acute Effects: Acute fluorine poisoning
  • Long-term Effects: Permanent respiratory damage
  • Environmental Impact: Crop destruction, especially corn

Historical Context and Legislation

  • Similar Events:
    • Meuse River Valley, Belgium (1930)
    • Poza Rica, Mexico (1950)
    • London Fog, UK (1952)
  • Legislation Timeline:
    • California pollution law in 1947
    • 1955 Air Pollution Control Act (Federal)
    • 1963 Clean Air Act (Federal)
    • 1959 Pennsylvania air pollution law
  • Creation of EPA: Executive Order by President Nixon in 1970

Legacy

  • Donora Smog Museum: "Clean Air Started Here"
  • Importance: Led to increased awareness and political action regarding air pollution

Discussion

  • Are current laws sufficient to prevent similar events today?

Acknowledgments

  • Donora Historical Society
  • Donora Smog Museum
  • Various academic and governmental sources

References

  • Articles and reports from Wired Magazine, Chemical and Engineering News, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other scholarly resources.