Your Body Almanac

Montana

High-radon ground, smoky summers, bitter winters and a short winter sun.

Nearly all of Montana has high radon potential. Wildfire smoke can settle in for weeks in summer, winters are long and very cold, and the winter sun is too weak for months to make vitamin D.

01

Radon across most of the state

EPA places most of Montana's 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.
02

Wildfire smoke

Fires in Montana and across the West and Canada can fill valleys with smoke in late summer. Fine smoke particles irritate your lungs and can trigger asthma and heart problems.

SourcesHow Wildfire Smoke Affects Your Body (CDC)Wildfires and Smoke (AirNow)
Check the air qualityAs neededLook up your local Air Quality Index before outdoor work or exercise, and scale back when it is high. Wear a respirator for dust, fumes and smokeAs neededUse a properly fitted N95 or better respirator for dusty work and heavy wildfire smoke, and a cartridge respirator for gases and vapors.
03

A long vitamin D winter

Montana lies from about 45 to 49 degrees north, well north of Boston, where a classic study found winter sun made no vitamin D in skin from November through February. Here the gap is 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.
05

Rocky Mountain wood ticks

This tick lives at about 4,000 to 10,500 feet in the Rocky Mountain states and can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever. Spring is peak season.

SourcesWhere 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.