Posted on 07/12/02
Killer air, killer book
When Smoke Ran Like Water By Devra DavisHarperCollins, 316 pages, $39.50In 1948, a smoky cloud descended on the steel mills and zinc works of Donora, Penn. The inversion made it impossible for workers to see across the street or even catch a glimpse of the town's smokestacks. In the darkness, fluoride and sulfur gases efficiently reduced people's lungs to a bloody pulp. In three days, 18 people died: All were down-winders. After the inversion lifted, another 50 died. Hundreds more finished the rest of their lives with damaged lungs and hearts. But another 40 years would pass before the whole truth about Donora's bad air made public-health history.
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