Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- This small collection focuses on several privately owned Radon Health Mines located in the towns of Boulder and Basin, in Jefferson County, Montana. Mines that were formerly used for uranium or other mineral extraction have been repurposed into health mines where people can receive radon gas therapies. Radon is purported to relieve symptoms from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, asthma, rheumatism, and other ailments. The mines are controversial because the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers radon a carcinogen that is unsafe to human health at any level. The Radon Health Mines Collection contains promotional information about the mines, tour guides for the general region, visitor testimonials, and articles related to the mines and the health of effects of radon. These materials were collected for the archives by Library staff in the mid-1990s.
- Extent:
- .21 Linear Feet Collection consists of 8 folders.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Radon Health Mine Collection, 1994-1999, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.74; [folder number] [folder title][date].
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains information related to Radon Health Mines located in Jefferson County, Montana. Materials include promotional brochures and leaflets for the mines, visitor information, travel guides, visitor testimonials, articles written about the mines and the health effects of radon, and correspondence between mine operators and Autry staff. The bulk of materials are from the mid-1990s.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that is the product of naturally decomposing uranium commonly found in rocks and soil. In the open air, radon dissipates quickly. High concentrations of radon can be found underground or in poorly ventilated areas such as mines, caves, or basements. Radon can leach up from the ground into buildings through cracks or gaps in a structure and become concentrated where airflow is limited. Radon is considered a carcinogen by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and prolonged exposure to radon has been linked to lung cancer.
Controversially, some health spas in Europe and North America promote radon treatments to alleviate pain and symptoms from chronic conditions such as asthma, arthritis, bursitis, rheumatism, and other chronic pain and inflammatory ailments. The evidence supporting these spas is largely anecdotal, but some health professionals argue that small doses of exposure to radon might stimulate the body's defense mechanisms to repair cell damage and relieve pain.
The Radon Health Mines of Jefferson County, Montana, are located in former uranium and mineral mines. Radon health mine operators claim that visitors will experience symptom relief after multiple exposures to the high concentrations of radon found in the mines. The mines are largely unregulated, but Montana Health authorities limit mine visits to no more than 32 hours a year and people under 18 years of age are not permitted into the mines without a prescription from a doctor.
References
Erickson, Barbra E. "The therapeutic use of radon: a biomedical treatment in Europe; an "alternative" remedy in the United States." Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society vol. 5,1 48-62, 23 September 2006, doi:10.2203/dose-response.06-007.
Finkel, Michael. "A Radioactive Lourdes." The New York Times Magazine, 24 December 1995, https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/24/magazine/a-radioactive-lourdes.html
Houghton, Katheryn."Visitors enter Montana mines filled with radon as a therapy for their ills." The Washington Post, 8 August, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/radon-treatment-mine-radiation-covid/2021/08/06/2bcf9ebc-f08f-11eb-81d2-ffae0f931b8f_story.html
"Radon and Your Health." US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 February 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/radon/about/index.html#:~:text=Key%20points,radon%20can%20cause%20lung%20cancer.
Singer, Mark."The Radon Cure: Why would people travel hundreds of miles to be exposed to radiation?" The New Yorker,16 July 2001, https://radonmine.com/pdf/newyorker.pdf
- Acquisition information:
- Health-mine related materials were collected by Marva Felchlin, Associate for Research Projects at the Autry, for their relevance to the subjects of health seekers in the West and repurposing defunct mines.
- Arrangement:
-
Materials are organized into eight folders by individual mine or publication name.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library and Archives at the Autry. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
- Preferred citation:
-
Radon Health Mine Collection, 1994-1999, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.74; [folder number] [folder title][date].
- Location of this collection:
-
4700 Western Heritage WayLos Angeles, CA 90027, US
- Contact:
- (747) 201-8448