The West Old & New November Vol. II Issue XI | Page 17

Defunct Mines Attract Health Seekers
We have all heard how radon gas can be bad
for you if it comes up from the earth under
your house. This radioactive gas, a natural
byproduct from the earth, plagues real estate
sales in most parts of the US. But there is a
clear divergence of opinion about radon in the
mountainous mine country between the towns
of Boulder and Basin, Montana. Where a half
a dozen gold and uranium mines south of Helena, Montana, attract ailing tourists. Numerous visitors come to these place for the radioactive radon gas and drink radioactive water
to improve their health. They come to relax
and treat arthritis, lupus, asthma and other
chronic cripplers.
The mines named, the Sunshine Health Mine,
Earth Angel, Radon Tunnel, the Merry
Widow and Sunshine Health mine, are shafts
inside the mines which have levels of radon
as high as 175 times the federal safety standard for houses. Time has revealed claims of
miraculous recoveries and remissions from
hanging out in these damp passage ways.
The health mines opened in the early 1950's
when little was understood about the health
and hazard aspects of atomic radiation. One claim is that the gas stimulates the nerves and helps the human body heal
itself.
A typical vacation at a radon health mine can last
a week or two. Recommendations are that visitors
to these earth passages sit in them for a period of
time two or three times a day, until they hit the
maximum annual exposure level designated by
the state. The permitted total visit is determined
by the radiation level of the particular mine. The
average visitor is 72 years old. The mines appeal
to people interested in natural healing. s.
The visitors to these passages entertain themselves with card playing, games, paperback novels and jigsaw puzzles. Inside the passages have
areas with chairs and beds for resting. Owners of
the mines bar pregnant women and children.
The West Old & New Page 14