ERIE - Erie Rising members, fearing pollution they believe is tied to hydraulic fracturing, are joining a California environmental group to test the town's air.

The group, which opposes fracturing, said Friday that El Cerrito, Calif.-based Global Community Monitor will train residents to use equipment to collect air samples. The group plans to test the air for volatile organic compounds.

The effort follows studies conducted in Colorado that have shown the presence of air pollutants associated with oil and gas development. It's the latest move by Erie Rising to call attention to fracturing in the town.

Last month, the activist group drew hundreds of people to protest natural-gas wells drilled near a school.

"The oil and gas industry insists there are no health risks to those living near their operations," Wendy Leonard, an Erie Rising co-founder, said in a statement from the activist group. "The results of these air samples will be the evidence needed to prove whether or not this is true."

The group will hold a meeting on the endeavor at the Erie Community Center at 5:30 p.m. July 13.