 The American Smelting and Refining Company ( ASARCO ) funded Drinker to investigate the 1948 Donora smog , as the company had an interest in showing that its primary pollutants ( sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide ) had not significantly contributed to the damage it caused . In the middle of 1953 , Amdur and her husband developed a method of spraying a combination mist of sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide into humid chambers containing guinea pigs to investigate the damage that it would cause to their lungs . Guinea pigs were used as they breathe more deeply through their mouths than smaller rodents which breathe through their noses . The <unk> bought their own guinea pigs for the mini project , and spent a holiday weekend doing the investigation . 
