Mary Amdur, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Mary Amdur

toxicologist and public health researcher

Date of Birth: 18-Feb-1921

Place of Birth: Donora, Pennsylvania, United States

Date of Death: 16-Feb-1998

Profession: toxicologist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Mary Ochsenhirt Amdur (February 18, 1921 – February 16, 1998) was an American toxicologist and public health researcher who worked primarily on pollution.
She was charged with studying the effects of the 1948 Donora smog, so she specifically looked into the effects of inhaling sulfuric acid by experimenting on guinea pigs.
Her findings on the respiratory effects related to sulfuric acid led to her being threatened, to her funding being pulled, and to her losing her job at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1953.
Undeterred by the setback, she carried on her research in a different role at Harvard, and subsequently at MIT and New York University.
Despite the early controversy related to her work, it was used in the creation of standards in air pollution, and towards the end of her life she received numerous awards and accolades.