Radon Spa? Radon Mine? Is radon good for you?
An old argument that is mostly forgotten of late goes something like this: “How can radon in my home be bad when there are spas in Montana where people pay good money to sit in high radon to improve their health?”
Radon Health Mines.
-Gutridge Inspections / Premier Radon has been testing for radon in houses in one form or another since 2001. In the last 20 years, owner Charlie Gutridge has tested thousands of homes and discussed radon gas and its effects an equal or greater number of times. (He’s kind of nerdy that way) Sometimes people have argued about this odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that no one can see but they can pay money to detect. Is it real? Is it really a problem?
-An old argument that is mostly forgotten of late goes something like this: “How can radon in my home be bad when there are spas in Montana where people pay good money to sit in high radon to improve their health?”
Radon Health Mines or Spas have existed in the US since the 1950’s.
-Story goes, a silver mine in Montana changed ownership and the new owners experienced relief from some health issues after spending time in their mine. They began allowing others to visit for treatment. Soon, there were 6 old mines turn radon spa open for business between Helena and Butte Montana, northwest of Bozeman, all located in the town of Basin.
-Today, we better understand that high radon levels are less important than the duration of your family’s exposure to elevated levels. Long term exposure to elevated radon can cause lung cancer. Long term exposure would be years, not months or days.
-The health benefits of high radon exposure for short periods of time are arguable. The EPA, FDA and DEP are largely silent on the topic leaving only anecdotal evidence to prove or disprove any gain. But the people who sing the praises of radon treatment are not in short supply. The ailments reported to have been affected include Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Migraines, Glaucoma, Emphysema and a general who’s-who of symptoms.
-Charlie’s wife M.E. Gutridge and their daughter Summer had a road trip scheduled in April 2021 to visit Yellowstone National Park right after the park opened for the season. Knowing they were going to be just a couple hours from Basin Montana, Charlie asked them to visit one of the Radon Mine Spas and take along a radon testing device. Though the idea of radon spas has been talked about in radon circles for decades, Charlie didn’t want to miss a chance to see for himself.
-M.E. and Summer drove to Basin Montana and visited the Merry Widow Mine Thursday April 22nd.
-M.E. describes the owner as a kind woman, who fully believes the benefits of radon treatment. Admission was $8 for an hour treatment. The owner told them people come for a week or longer of hour-long exposures, staying at the onsite campground, or in one of their tiny-home style cabins.
-The entrance to the mine is unassuming and pulling open the door leads to what one would expect entering an old western silver or gold mine. Exposed rock and wood timber cribbing lead into the mountain on a slight grade. The walk to seating areas is short, and along the way patrons have left painted rocks and other signs of their visit.
-Summer was a bit nerved by the mild claustrophobia of being deep underground, but M.E. found the surroundings cool and comfortable. They took a seat at a picnic table in an alcove off the main mine shaft.
-M.E. opened the E-Perm Canister radon test and started the clock. This type of radon device is passive and designed for exposure times measured in days, not hours or minutes but would suffice for testing and proving the concept of high radon in the mine. The ladies passed the time playing cards.
-The mine is cool, around 52 degrees, and damp. Water seeps from the stone in a constant trickle and is dipped and used to rinse the eyes of visitors if they wish to treat an eye ailment like Glaucoma. Summer quickly grew bored and disliked the confinement.
-When their hour ended M.E. closed the radon canister and recorded the exposure time. It would have to wait another week to be read back in the office. Merry Widow Health Mine boasts a radon level of 1297 picocuries per liter (pCi/l) in their literature, and we were anxious to test that. For reference, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection recommends remediation at 4.0 pCi/l in homes. The home where the concerns all began back in 1984 in Boyertown, PA tested at 2700 pCi/l. But that is a story for another article. The three remaining Radon Spas in Basin record levels of between 176 and 890 pCi/l.
-Once back in Pennsylvania Charlie processed the test devices. Along with testing the Merry Widow Mine, M.E. and Summer ran tests of between 2 and 5 days at each location they stayed along their road trip through Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Those tests were between 1.9 and 3.0 pCi/l. The one-hour test in Merry Widow Mine came back at 736.1 pCi/l. Experience and some testing tells us that with a passive device, it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to reach equilibrium in the environment it is exposed so, at 56% of the advertised radon level, that seems to be within the margin of error. We have proof for the levels advertised for Merry Widow.
-There is no takeaway or conclusion for this article. All the evidence for health improvement is anecdotal at best. What is also not being refuted is the effects of alpha radiation on living tissue. Radon emits alpha radiation during its half-life. That radiation can cause problems, at elevated levels and long-term exposure.