According to an expert quoted by the Hungarian news agency MTI, the pollution had been due to reach the county of Gyor-Moson-Sopron by midday Wednesday, bringing it closer to the Danube.

For Jaime Tardy, giving up her role as her family's primary breadwinner, and the extra cash, was tough: "I'm still not 100% over it."

Heidi Miller, JP Morgan's (JPM) president of international operations and a longtime ally of CEO Jamie Dimon, was the keynote speaker at the first conference held last May.