Your Body Almanac

Minnesota

Deep cold, dark winters, high radon, Lyme ticks and arsenic in wells.

Minnesota stacks several risks: a high Lyme rate, high radon potential in most counties, arsenic in about one in ten private wells, and long, very cold winters with little vitamin D from the sun.

01

Lyme disease and blacklegged ticks

CDC classes Minnesota as a high-incidence Lyme state, with about 47 cases per 100,000 people in 2022. Blacklegged ticks also spread anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus.

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

Radon

EPA places 68 of Minnesota's 87 counties in Zone 1, its highest radon-potential category, and none in the lowest zone. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and a home test is the only way to know your level.

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.
03

Arsenic in private wells

Arsenic occurs naturally in Minnesota groundwater. About 40 percent of new wells drilled since 2008 have detectable arsenic, and about 10 percent of private wells are above 10 micrograms per liter. Levels vary between neighboring wells, so test yours. Water softeners and carbon filters alone do not remove it.

SourcesArsenic in Well Water (Minnesota Department of Health)
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.
04

A long vitamin D winter

Minnesota lies from about 43.5 to 49 degrees north, north of Boston, where a classic study found winter sun made no vitamin D in skin from November through February. Here that stretch runs longer.

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. Spend time outdoorsDailyGet 20 to 30 minutes in a park, yard or green space most days, walking or just sitting.