1. Donora Smog Disaster D a n g e r o u s F o g s London Fog 1952

2. London Fog 1952 London is well known for its heavy fog that shrouds the city, however, in 1952 there was a severe Fog that was so thick, it was impossible to see two feet in front of you. This fog is also known as the Great Smog or the Big Smoke.

3. The Smog came in the evening of Friday, December 5th 1952. The Cause was period of cold weather, an anticyclone and windless conditions It came in Suddenly creating a thick wall of fog. At the beginning the Fog just appeared as unusually thick but not unordinary The fog lasted for 5 days but the after effects lasted for longer. It is considered the worst air pollution event in the history of the U.K.

4. No one realized things were wrong until the 8/9th when death rates peaked at 900 per day, by the end of the week they were estimating 4,000 deaths. Recent research suggest the fatalities were closer to 12,000 or more. Most of the deaths were caused by respiratory tract infections (bronchitis, pneumonia, heart failure, etc.) The most susceptible to the disease were the elderly, infants, and those with pre- existing conditions. Once the fatalities were established all were forced to wear masks- even the animals, due to the high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration. It’s assumed that the animal deaths were not as high as the human, but, there hasn’t appeared to be an official count of animal fatalities Many businesses lost profit and London basically had to shut down for several days, as the fog made it possible to get lost in your own neighborhood. In one instance a theatre had to close because the smog leaked in during a performance making it impossible to see anything. All public transportation ceased (except the London Underground- even the Ambulance service, forcing the sick to transport themselves.

5. Due to the inability to see properly nothing could truly be done while the smog was hovering over London, however, once it cleared, actions were set up to see changes. The deaths spurred the British Government to clear the nation’s air. It soon became clear that there was a connection between fuel combustion, atmospheric pollution, and the public health. 1956 Clean Air Act- Gave local governments authority to provide funds to households – converting coal-fired heaters  cleaner energy: gas , oil, smokeless coal., or electricity. 1968 Clean Air Act- Introduced taller chimney stacks, releasing pollution higher into the atmosphere. New problems have been discovered due to the chimney stacks however, the London Smog revealed serious problems with the way air pollution was dealt with and many of the old problems have been fixed with new systems in place to help deal with new issues.

6. Donora Smog Disaster The Donora Smog disaster occurred in October 1948 in the town of Donora, Pennsylvania. It is one of America’s worst air pollution disasters.

7. Donora a town of 14,000 (at the time) on the Monongahela River, in a valley. The town was home to a number of steel mills and zinc smelting plants that released excessive amounts of sulfuric acid, carbon monoxide, and other harmful pollutants that were released into the atmosphere for years prior to the disaster. Sometime on October 26th, weather conditions brought a heavy fog into Donora- the fog appear(s) to have trapped the air born pollutants (emitted from the plants ) close to the ground where they were inhaled by local residents. Almost immediately there was a wave of calls to the hospitals of the area. And those with known respiratory problems were advised to leave town immediately however 11 people, all elderly, had already passed. Many attempted to leave the area but heavy smog and then increased traffic made it nearly impossible. The hospitals became flooded with complaints and calls of inability to breathe.

8. Although the Donora Smog Disaster didn’t have many fatalities (only 20), the health casualties were massive, over 7,000. Once the rain came through and cleared the lingering visible pollutants the air quality did increase however there were still invisible pollutants such as ozone remaining a threat to people with respiratory problems. The government has spent a fair chunk of money trying to alleviate the damage done to Donora.

9. The Donora smog disaster received national attention when it was reported via radio show by Walter Winchell. In it’s aftermath, air pollution became a matter of public concern This incident lead to the 1955 Clean Air Act. The Donora Zinc Works was shuttered completely in 1957. All types of visible pollutants (responsible for the death s in the disaster) have been outlawed or eliminated. The Donora smog disaster brought forth the air pollution problem not only to the government but also to the public, making it a national concern.

10. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/greatsmog.htm http://www.eoearth.org/article/London_smog_disaster,_England http://www.world-weather-travellers-guide.com/london-smog.html