Today in History: Polluted smog killed more than 20 people
About 20 people died as a result of the deadly smog that rolled into the town.
On this day in 1948, killer smog continued to hover over Donora, Pennsylvania, and would go on to kill about 20 people and make thousands more seriously ill.
Donora was a town of 14 000 people on the Monongahela River in a valley surrounded by hills. The town was home to steel mills and a zinc smelting plant that released excessive amounts of sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere for years prior to the disaster.
During the 1920s, the owner of the zinc plant, Zinc Works, paid off local residents for damages caused by the pollution. Still, there was little or no regulation of the air pollution caused by the industries of Donora.
Beginning sometime on 26 October, weather conditions in the valley brought a heavy fog into Donora. The fog appeared to have trapped the airborne pollutants emitted from the zinc smelting plant and steel mills close to the ground, where they were inhaled by the local residents. Soon, a wave of calls came in to area hospitals and physicians.
Dr William Rongaus, head of the local Board of Health, suggested that all residents with pre-existing respiratory problems leave town immediately. However, 11 people, all elderly and with heart problems or asthma, were already dead.
Most residents then attempted to evacuate, but the heavy smog and increased traffic made leaving difficult. Thousands flooded the hospitals when they experienced difficulty breathing.
It was not until 31 October that Zinc Works shut down operations. Later that day, rain fell on Donora and dispersed the pollutants. But by that time, another nine people had perished.
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