as smoke particles from record-setting Canadian wildfires saturated Philadelphia was the worst since 2008. But 35 years ago, this would have been just another day., in 1980 nearly every other day saw the air quality index hover into the same “unhealthy” range seen Tuesday and Wednesday.
Coal-burning industries were not uncommon in Philadelphia — a major manufacturing hub since the Victorian era — well into the modern age and pollution was often accepted as a fact of life. A 1983 Inquirer report documented a stretch of summer weather that saw air quality levels fall below federal standards every day for about two weeks straight. However, the same report notes that air quality levels in Philadelphia had improved dramatically compared to a decade prior, crediting the introduction of environmental standards.