Summary
Organization name
Citizens for Clean Air Grand Junction
2013
Tax id (EIN)
83-1472133
Category
Environment
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO Box 101 Grand Junction CO 81502GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81507
Grand Junction, CO, US
Thanks for visiting our page!
Take a deep breath of air and appreciate it! We can’t exist for more than a few minutes without it, and yet we often take the air we breathe for granted…until it is degraded.
Our ever-growing population here in Mesa County means more vehicle exhaust emissions to pollute that air. More dangerous, widespread wildfires threaten outdoor and indoor air quality with harmful smoke, and agricultural burning creates smoke that infiltrates our community during the spring and fall open burn seasons. Breathing air with measurable levels of radon is also harmful due to the radiation (gas) and decay products (particulates) emitted. Radon can become trapped inside homes and other buildings and our area can contain high amounts due to generous uranium deposits in the ground. These sources cause ill effects for everyone, but especially those with respiratory and cardiovascular issues, children and older adults.
For nearly twelve years, our local organization has been dedicated to protecting the air quality in the Grand Valley. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we've raised awareness about the air we breathe through advocacy, education, and citizen science. Our goal is to keep the community informed about air pollution – it’s sources, health impacts, and strategies for prevention and risk reduction.
Thank you for considering a gift to help protect our air.
Mission
To research the causes of air pollution on the Western Slope and promote the improvement of air quality in Mesa County through grassroots involvement with local, state and federal agencies along with the private sector and other nonprofit organizations, and to mitigate the effects of known air pollutants on humans, animals, agriculture and the environment.
Background Statement
We were founded in the winter of 2012/13 during a cold air inversion that trapped visibly polluted air in the Grand Valley for months.
In 2018, Citizens for Clean Air (CCA) became a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
We saw a need to monitor air pollutant particles in the Grand Valley. We researched and identified a relatively low-cost, reliable unit that measures and reports high-quality, real-time particulate data—manufactured by PurpleAir LLC. Thousands of these units had been deployed globally, but none on the Western Slope. Today, thanks to our volunteers along with members of the community, over sixty PurpleAir monitors are active throughout the valley. Residents and visitors can check the air quality in their neighborhoods or wherever they are and plan outdoor activities accordingly. We also encourage indoor monitors in homes, schools and workplaces. CCA volunteers service, replace and repair monitors.
Radon is a harmful radioactive gas that can commonly be found inside homes and workplaces in the Grand Valley due to the presence of uranium in the ground. Additionally, uranium and vanadium were mined from formations in the area, and the mill tailings are also a source of radon gas. Foundations constructed into these conditions have the potential for radon gas migration into the structure.
Although the EPA recommends homes be fixed if the radon level is 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) there is no known safe level of exposure to radon.
In late 2024, we initiated the Radon Monitoring Program to help educate community members about the occurrence and health risk of radon gas and provided a free and easy way to screen people’s living and workspaces for the possible presence of radon.
CCA has purchased several radon monitors that we continue to lend free of charge to test radon levels.
Wintertime is prime time to measure radon in structures because windows are generally closed, and air exchanges are minimal.
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Organization Data
GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81507