The Deep-Rooted Damage of the Donora Smog Disaster

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Title: The Deep-Rooted Damage of the Donora Smog Disaster
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Description: The Donora smog is an infamous event caused by Donora Zinc Works, which operated for thirty-three long years prior to the disaster which resulted in a foggy haze mixed with atmospheric pollutants to smother the proximal areas. The Donora smog occurred over the Donora and Webster areas on October 29th, 1948. Soil samples were collected, in triplicate, from the location where the plant used to stand, as well as from surrounding areas not impacted by industrialization. The soil samples were analyzed for pH, moisture content, organic matter content, and zinc concentrations. Bacteria isolated from the soil were tested for their ability to grow in high zinc concentrations and DNA was extracted from isolates exhibiting zinc resistance. The extracted DNA underwent shotgun sequencing to generate genome assemblies of the isolates. Some of the genomes identified were Serratia liquefacines, Alcaligenes faecalis, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia which have previously shown zinc resistance. The soil samples collected from Donora displayed high concentrations of zinc and the microbes isolated from the samples displayed the ability to grow in high zinc concentrations. The results from this study provide evidence to support that there are long-lasting effects of industrialization on the bacterial communities within the soil., Honors Thesis Advisor : Dr. Michelle Valkanas, PhD.
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Contributor: Augustine, Shaylie F. (Author), California University of Pennsylvania. Honors Program.
Date: 2022-04-22
Type: Text
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Identifier: cali:2250
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