The Donora Smog Disaster of 1948 is perhaps the most infamous air pollution event in American history and it happened in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
That weekend of horrific air quality killed 20 people and sickened thousands more, but it also galvanized residents to take environmental action – a movement that culminated in the creation of the Clean Air Act.
During our Making the Connection: What the Donora Smog Disaster Can Teach Us 74 Years Later event, attendees listened to a panel of local experts including:
— Mark Pawelec and Brian Charlton, historians from the Donora Smog Museum.
— Scott Beveridge, a retired, award-winning investigative journalist from the Observer-Reporter newspaper in Washington County whose work uncovered new details about the disaster and its fallout.
— Myranda Fullerton, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service.
During the 90-minute program, attendees had the opportunity to view rare historical videos, learn from experts how U.S. Steel used a combination of public relations and victim blaming to downplay its role in the killer smog event, and hear heart-wrenching stories of personal loss and environmental damage gleaned from the pages of long-forgotten court documents.
Click Here to watch the webinar.
Visit the Group Against Smog & Pollution website for more information on air pollution and environmental health issues in Western Pennsylvania.
(Photo: Donora at noon during the smog disaster.)
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[Posted: December 16, 2022] PA Environment Digest
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