On this day in Labor History the year was 1948.
That was the day that a thick yellow fog rolled over the town of Donora, Pennsylvania just south of Pittsburgh.
Donora was a mill town, nestled in a valley on the bank of the Monongahela River.
By 1948, the town had grown to 14,000 people, who came to work in the town’s steel mills and the Donora Zinc Works.
For years the local residents had complained about the pollution that spilled from the plants.
Smog was a regular occurrence.
But this fog was even worse than usual.
A layer of cold air was trapping a noxious blend of nitrogen dioxide, sulfuric acid and fluoride pollution.
Twenty-four hours passed, and still the fog grew denser.
The police and local doctors began to receive reports of people having difficulties breathing.
The fog became so thick that residents could not see to drive.
For five days the smog hung over the town, until a rain fall began to break it up.
Nearly half of the towns’ residents became ill.
Twenty died.
U.S. Steel refused to take blame for the fog, even though they continued to run the plant as the deadly toxins continued to build.
According to a 2010 article by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Despite the efforts of industry to cast the tragedy as an “act of God,” the fatalities in Donora received national attention. The event changed the way air pollution was viewed, moving it rapidly from an aesthetic issue to a public health concern, and spurred local, state and federal officials to control toxic air pollution.”
In 2008 a Smog Museum opened with the motto “Clean Air Started Here.”
March 24 - Exxon Valdez Runs Aground
March 23 - Texas City Refinery Explosion Kills 15
March 22 - ERA Passes the Senate
March 21 - Truman Signs Loyalty Order
March 20 - Another Deadly Explosion
March 19 - Wartime President Pushes for Labor Peace
March 18 - Wartime Workers Betrayed
March 17 - The Hoggs Hollow Tragedy
March 16 - Big Bill Haywood Talks General Strike
March 15 - The Grapes of Wrath Opens in Theaters
March 14 - Remembering Walter Crane
March 13 - Ending Jim Crow on the Job
March 12 - OSHA Safety Incentives
March 11 - Raising Conditions for an Industry
March 10 - Radium Girls
March 9 - Striking the Mines
March 8 - IBEW Strikes to Win
March 7 - Work Faster! Work Faster!
March 6 - International Unemployed Day
March 5 -Lordstown Syndrome
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