Radon: Trick or Treat?

Keywords: Radon, Radioactive

The Story: Visit the Merry Widow Health Mine near Basin, Montana on a typical day, and you will find enthusiastic believers in the power of Radon to cure what ails them. Visitors spend prescribed amounts of time sitting in the old radon-emitting mine on what looks to be old school bus seats. Some play cards, others may sit quietly, but they all look calm and relaxed. This is in stark contrast to the current EPA National Health Advisory on Radon warning that urges people to test their homes for radon and to limit their exposure. According to the warning, 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer each year. At least one initial sham-controlled study indicates that there may be some benefit to radon therapy. At what dose does "merry" end and "widow" begin?

Additional Reading:
http://www.epa.gov/radon/
http://www.merrywidowmine.com/
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/39/8/894

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