It got its name from a combination of william donner and nora mellon, banker andrew w. Unesco eolss sample chapters environmental toxicology and human health vol. 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 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. In 1930, in the meuse valley, a period of intense fog in a heavy industrial area resulted in the death of 60 persons. In addition, reports regarding air pollution have indicated that levels of. The company possessed a string of reports on donora air, information it kept close at hand, the court records indicate. It is therefore a little surprising that there are so few books about air pollution episodes. Oct 27, 2011 the tagline at the donora smog museum is clean air started here, denoting that their suffering played a big part in opening the eyes of americans to the hazards of air pollution and spurred political action that has carried forth through today and will continue into the future. Zoology and wildlife conservation international relations environmental issues air pollution environmental aspects disasters history. The donora smog disaster and the clean air act of 1970. For environmental health science students air pollution mengesha admassu, mamo wubeshet university of gondar in collaboration with the ethiopia public health training initiative, the carter center, the ethiopia ministry of health, and the ethiopia ministry of education august 2006. At donora, 20 persons died and thousands became ill.
The rest of the lecture centers around the passage of the clean air act and its subsequent amendments. Donora pennsylvania smog fossil fuels and pollution. Air pollution in donora, pa epidemiology of the unusual. In the film, we present the air pollution disasters in. The event is commemorated by the donora smog museum sixty years later, the incident was described by the new york times. View essay externalities and air quality from geography 102 at california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo.
The dollop is a podcast hosted since april 2014 by american comedians dave anthony and gareth reynolds. A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster. An air pollution disaster article in the lancet 3579257. Air pollution tragedy lesson plan ventura county air pollution. A similar episode occurred in october 1948, when what is described as a smog enveloped the town of donora, pennsylvania.
Air pollution is composed of airborne solid and liquid aerosols called particulates as well as gases that, when in high concentrations, seriously affect the lives of people and animals, harm plants, or threaten ecosystems. Air pollution episodes have transformed our attitudes towards the environment. Aug 22, 2015 air pollution may subsidies or enhance due to disasters. The boroughs nickname is the home of champions, mainly. 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. The clean air act has prevented another incident like that of the donora smog of 1948 and the london fog of 1952.
I case study of air pollution episodes in meuse valley of belgium, donora of pennsylvania, and london, u. Assessment and control of indoor air pollution, pp. Steel corporations donora zinc works smelting operation and other sources containing sulfur, carbon monoxide, and heavy metal dusts was trapped by an inversion, where a warm air mass traps cold air near the ground. 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. Donora of pennsylvania in usa is a small mill town dominated by a steel mill, a zinc smelter and a sulphuric acid plant. The united states public health service undertook an exhaustive study of every facet of the. Highlighting as it did the growing problem of industrial air pollution, the donora. Air pollution may subsidies or enhance due to disasters. Mar 22, 2015 out of the 3 episodes, the meuse river valley and monongahela river valley both did not have any air sampling data taken at the time except for last air pollution event in london. Nov 15, 2015 case study of 1948 donora, pa, smog emergency which killed 20 people, sickened thousands more and helped launch modern pollution reforms. Air pollution in donora download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. 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.
Externalities and air quality the 1948 donora smog was an. An episode in donora, pennsylvania, in 1948 is an example. The european commission has developed a series of framework directives for controlling ambient air pollution and monitoring concentrations. What was described as a killer fog blanketed this small company town in 1948. This dissertation explores how investigations of donoras smog reflected and contributed to the. Noted as the most severe air pollution disaster in history, the incident took place over 4 days in london. 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 slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The donora smog revisited american journal of public health.
Donora gained major national attention, for it revealed the severe effects of industrial air pollution on public health. 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. Download the pdf to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables. Kagawa, jun encyclopedia of life support systems eolss so2 was from 9. Air pollution as a disaster slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. It eventually led to the clean air act and state and federal. They have altered our perceptions, catalysed legislation and improved scientific understanding. Link to air the search for one clean breath from executive. The great air pollution disasters 3 major history episodes. The content of the brochure is divided into an introduction, biologic studies, atmospheric studies, which include many subheadings, such as a collection of the atmospheric pollutants, determination of the nature of these pollutants, a description of the various plant operations in the donora area, as well as the consideration of the pollution. These incidents are used to illustrate the dire health and environmental effects of air pollution when it is unregulated.
Page 2 ventura county air pollution control district, ventura, ca teacher background since the industrial revolution, there have been several occurrences of mass illness and death due to air pollution from factories. On this day, the 63rd anniversary of the donora death fog, lets. Therefore, because there were air samples available, the episode triggered the british clean air act 1956. In 1948 in donora, pa, the routine release of toxins into the air became a deadly fog because of. The air is certainly a lot cleaner today than in the days of the smogs of the 1950s, when factory chimneys belched out smoke and nearly everyone had a coal fire. However, coal burning causes the pollution of the air. The smog may have been an environmental disaster, but in the end, it helped save more people from air pollution.
A secret history of americas worst air pollution disaster, chris bryson explains that the records containing that information are missing from the u. Typical episodes feature subjects from american history described by anthony and commented on by anthony and reynolds. Many credit the literary works of henry david thoreau or teddy roosevelts patronage of national parks as. The disaster is historically significant because it helped usher in federal air quality measures. In this story from our archives, the allegheny fronts jennifer szweda jordan visited the town to talk with survivors. The new york times as one of the worst air pollution disasters in the nations history. Brian charlton of the donora smog museum talked about the origin of the 1948 donora air quality crisis and how it led to changing perceptions of air pollution and industrialization. Pollutants can arise from human activities anthropogenic sources or from natural sources such as dust storms and. Each episode centers around an event or person from history selected for its humorousness or peculiarity. Donora residents remember the deadliest air pollution disaster.
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. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Donora gained major national attention, for it revealed the severe effects of. 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. Air pollutionis composed of airborne solid and liquid aerosols called particulates as well as gases that, when in high concentrations, seriously affect the lives of people and animals, harm plants, or threaten ecosystems. Click download or read online button to get donora book now. A temperature inversion sets the stage for the donora smog of 1948. This dissertation explores how investigations of donora s smog reflected and contributed to the power of.
Known as the monongahela river valley, the area is populated with people of donora and webster. Click download or read online button to get air pollution in donora book now. 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. President harry truman cited donora as an example of the need for a national air pollution conference he convened in 1950. According to the pennsylvania bureau of industrial hygiene, the pollution. Pollution case studies air pollution episodes a series of air pollution disasters have occurred in the past 75 from meuse valley, belgium1930 to chernobyl nuclear disaster in the erstwhile ussr1986. Dec 12, 2016 this feature is not available right now. Sixty years ago, the nations worst air pollution disaster occurred in the monongahela river valley town of donora. Not often is a relatively minor disaster so loaded with significance for the whole country as was that of october 30 at donora. In 2018, 70 years after the donora disaster, air pollution continues to be a global threat to public health. Apr 22, 2009 the donora smog event, the worst air pollution disaster in u. Environmental protection agency sets and enforces air quality standards only for ambient air. Other air pollution disasters through the world 1983 melbourne dust storm. Report to congress on indoor air quality, volume ii.
Recent news articles have highlighted air pollution challenges that remain both within the united states and throughout the world. Consequently in 1949, the state government established the division of air pollution control to study the. But if you are concerned about air pollution, there is a free and easy to use service that allows you to check levels in your area. When it was over, the local funeral home ran out of caskets. 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. The 1948 donora smog was an air pollution disaster in the city of donora. Externalities and air quality the 1948 donora smog was. The anniversary of the worst recorded industrial air pollution accident inus history which occurred 50 years ago this october in donora,pennsylvania will go virtually unmarked. Page 2 ventura county air pollution control district, ventura, ca teacher background since the industrial revolution, there have been several occurrences of mass illness and death due to. The chemical also could explain the disappearance of vegetation on the hillsides across the monongahela river in webster. Environmental protection agency, office of air and radiation. The event is commemorated by the donora smog museum. The 1948 donora smog was a historic smog event that killed 20 people and caused respiratory.
In 1948, for example, severe industrial air pollution created a deadly smog in donora, pennsylvania, which made thousands of. The tagline at the donora smog museum is clean air started here, denoting that their suffering played a big part in opening the eyes of americans to the hazards of air pollution and spurred political action that has carried forth through today and will continue into the future. 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. Consequences of air pollution co 2 is a good transmitter of sunlight, but it also partially restricts infrared radiation going back from the earth into space, which produces the socalled greenhouse effect that prevents a drastic cooling of the earth during the night increasing the amount of co 2 in the atmosphere. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Disasters disturb the air quality for a long or short period.
Donora smog disaster phmc our documentary heritage. The historically hazy story of donoras deadly smog. The donora smog disaster attracted attention to this problem. May 24, 2012 the donora smog disaster and the clean air act of 1970. Disasters like earth quake, war and volcanic eruption add to air pollution. Air pollution episodes and disasters ketan wadodkar m meuse valley. In fact, since the acts inception, emissions of toxic lead in the united states have dropped 98 percent. It deserved also more intelligent handling than it recently received in the journal s queries and minor notes columns p. Worldwide attention for air pollution rose after the incident in meuse valley in belgium. The donora smog event, the worst air pollution disaster in u.
1665 311 436 1368 734 419 329 910 696 99 1443 515 1088 1226 1049 388 435 772 336 925 1378 489 1226 890 256 1181 280 1034 826 1025 1362 793 1073 79 340 74 867 1277 1201 1416 520 843 1246