Donora, Pennsylvania

Donora is a borough located in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 35 miles (56 km) south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river. Donora was incorporated in 1900. Agriculture, coal-mining, steel-making, wire-making, and other industries were conducted in Donora early in its history. In 1910, 8,174 people lived there; in 1920, 14,131; and in 1940, 13,180 people lived in Donora. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 5,653. Donora is a Rust Belt place which has lost most of its industrial capacity. It is in the "Mon valley" five miles (8 km) downriver from Charleroi and 25 miles (40 km) upstream of Braddock which is also in the "Mon valley."

Further reading

• Davis, Devra, When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution, Basic Books, 2002, hardcover, 316 pages, ISBN 0-465-01521-2
• Snyder, Lynn Page, "The Death-Dealing Smog over Donora, Pennsylvania: Industrial Air Pollution, Public Health, and Federal Policy, 1915-1963", (Ph.D dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1994)
• Bryson, Chris, "A Secret History of America's Worst Air Pollution Disaster," Earth Island Journal, volume 13, Fall, 1998, available online at: http://www.earthisland.org/eijornal/fall98/fe_fall98donora.html and also at: http://www.fluoridation.com/donora.htm (the site in external links labeled "Donora Fluoride Smog coverup")