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Enter an address and radius to see air quality information for your area, including nearby facilities, monitoring data, and environmental justice indicators.
Criteria pollutants are defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as six important pollutants (carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide). National air quality standards (NAAQS) are established for each of these compounds to set limits for their concentrations in the air. Understanding and monitoring these pollutants helps communities stay informed about air quality, allows for protective health measures, and guides efforts to reduce pollution for a healthier environment.
The six criteria pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act are:
In Colorado, the primary sources include:
Criteria pollutant exposure can cause:
Sensitive groups include children, elderly, and those with pre-existing respiratory or heart conditions.
Through Regulation:
Through Monitoring:
Air toxics are important because they are linked to serious health problems, including various types of cancer, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and birth defects, and they can cause significant harm to the environment. Air toxics are not regulated by national air quality standards like criteria pollutants, but they pose direct health and ecological risks. Therefore, monitoring and regulating them is essential for protecting public health and ecosystems.
Air toxics (also called hazardous air pollutants or HAPs) include:
The EPA lists 187 hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
Key sources in Colorado:
The Denver-Metro/North Front Range area has the highest concentration of air toxic sources in the state.
Health effects of air toxics exposure:
Communities near industrial facilities and along the Front Range are disproportionately impacted.
HB21-1189 (Air Toxics Act):
Monitoring Programs:
Greenhouse gases are important because of their contributions to climate change. Common GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to rising global temperatures, shifting weather patterns, and impacts on ecosystems and human health. Colorado has set ambitious targets to reduce GHG emissions as part of its commitment to addressing climate change.
The main greenhouse gases:
Colorado's GHG emissions come from:
The Denver-Julesburg Basin is a major methane emission source area.
Climate change impacts in Colorado:
Reduction Targets:
Key Programs:
Ground-level ozone is important because it's a harmful air pollutant that damages human health, particularly the respiratory system, and negatively impacts ecosystems and crops. While stratospheric ozone protects from UV radiation, ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, causes respiratory issues like aggravated asthma and lung damage, and also harms forests and vegetation. Colorado's Front Range is designated as a nonattainment area for the federal ozone standard.
Ground-level ozone facts:
Ozone precursors (NOx + VOCs) come from:
Colorado's high altitude and abundant sunshine create conditions favorable for ozone formation.
Health effects of ozone exposure:
Active individuals and those exercising outdoors are at higher risk. On Action Days, limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
Nonattainment Status:
Reduction Strategies:
Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas that is over 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. It is also a precursor to ground-level ozone formation. Colorado is one of the leading states in addressing methane emissions, particularly from the oil and gas sector, which is the largest anthropogenic source of methane in the state. Reducing methane emissions provides near-term climate benefits and improves local air quality.
Key facts about methane:
Colorado's methane sources:
Methane impacts in Colorado:
Regulation:
Monitoring: