Donora, Pa., was enveloped in a lethal haze in October of 1948, over five days,
nearly half of the town’s 14,000 resident’s experienced severe respiratory or
cardiovascular problems. It was difficult to breathe. The death toll rose to
nearly 40. The situation in Donora was extreme, but it reflected a trend. Air
pollution had become a harsh consequence of industrial growth across the
country and world. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 marked
one of the earliest federal efforts to address water pollution
