Your Body Almanac

Maine

One of the highest Lyme rates in the US, plus radon and arsenic in wells.

Maine had the third-highest Lyme disease rate of any state in 2022. Most counties have high radon potential, and some private wells carry too much arsenic, uranium or radon. Winters are long, cold and dark.

01

Lyme disease and blacklegged ticks

Maine reported about 195 Lyme cases per 100,000 people in 2022, third only to Rhode Island and Vermont. Blacklegged ticks also spread anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. Yards, trails and woodland edges are all tick habitat from spring through fall.

SourcesSurveillance for Lyme Disease After Implementation of a Revised Case Definition — United States, 2022 (CDC MMWR)Where Ticks Live (CDC)
Check for ticksAs neededAfter time in grass or woods, check your whole body, shower within two hours and dry your clothes on high heat. Use insect repellentAs neededUse an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin when mosquitoes or ticks are around.
02

Arsenic, uranium and radon in well water

Many Mainers drink from private wells, and some Maine wells have too much arsenic, uranium or radon, which occur naturally in rock and groundwater. You cannot see, smell or taste them. Maine CDC advises testing every year for bacteria and nitrates, and every three to five years for arsenic, uranium, radon and other metals.

SourcesPrivate Well Water (Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention)Arsenic and Drinking Water (USGS)
Test your private well every yearYearlyIf your water comes from a private well, have it tested by a certified lab at least once a year.
03

Radon in the air at home

EPA places 12 of Maine's 16 counties in Zone 1, its highest radon-potential category, and none in the lowest zone. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Test the air in your home as well as your well water.

SourcesEPA Map of Radon Zones and Supplemental Information (US EPA)Health Risk of Radon (US EPA)
Test your home for radonAs neededRadon is invisible and odorless, so a simple test is the only way to know your level. Fix it at 4 pCi/L or higher.
04

A long vitamin D winter

Maine lies north of Boston, where a classic study found winter sun made no vitamin D in skin from November through February. In Maine that stretch runs longer, so food sources matter more.

SourcesInfluence of season and latitude on the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D3 (Webb, Kline and Holick, 1988)Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
Get vitamin D from foodDailyEat fatty fish, fortified milk and UV-exposed mushrooms so you are not relying on the sun alone. Ask your doctor about vitamin DYearlyIf you get little sun or few vitamin D foods, ask at your checkup whether testing or a supplement makes sense for you.

When to see a professional

See a doctor for an expanding rash, fever, facial droop or joint swelling in the weeks after a tick bite. If a well test comes back high for arsenic or uranium, stop drinking it and ask Maine CDC about treatment.