Donora, Pennsylvania, Suffers Deadly Temperature Inversion
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Ecology and the Environment Series
- Categories: Science, Medicine, Health, Environmental Issues, Disasters, Natural Phenomena
- Subcategories: Ecology, Environment, Conservation, Weather, Pollution, Toxic Waste
- Curriculum: American History 1901-1950
- Geographical Location: Pennsylvania
- Date: October 26-31, 1948
Article abstract: On October 26, 1948, a temperature inversion over Donora, Pennsylvania, trapped atmospheric pollutants for six days, causing more than five thousand people to become ill.
Summary of Event
During the last week of October, 1948, a temperature inversion associated with an anticyclone caused stagnant atmospheric conditions over western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and parts of Maryland and Virginia. In Donora, Pennsylvania, this condition was accompanied by heavy fog, resulting in the formation of a dense smog (smoke and other air pollutants...
[The entire page is 1817 words long]
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