Editorial, New England Journal of Medicine | June 29, 2017
In late October 1948, a dense smog descended over the town of Donora, Pennsylvania. The town was home to a zinc plant and a steel mill, both run by the United States Steel Corporation. Susan Gnora, a 62-year-old resident of Donora, started to gasp and cough as the smog descended. She died the next day. Dr. William Rongaus, a physician and a member of the board of health, went door to door, treating patients for their respiratory symptoms and encouraging them to leave town if they could.