Your Body Almanac

New York

Lyme country upstate and on Long Island, with long, gray winters.

New York is one of the core Lyme disease states. Much of upstate sits in EPA's highest radon zone, and winters are long and cold, with too little sun to make vitamin D for several months.

01

Ticks and Lyme disease

New York is one of the states CDC classifies as high-incidence for Lyme disease. Blacklegged ticks live in woods, brush and leaf litter, from the Hudson Valley to Long Island. Untreated Lyme can affect joints, the heart and nerves, and the same ticks carry other infections.

SourcesAbout Lyme Disease (CDC)Surveillance for Lyme Disease After Implementation of a Revised Case Definition — United States, 2022 (CDC MMWR)Lyme Disease and Other Diseases Carried by Ticks (New York State Department of Health)
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 across much of upstate

Radon is an invisible, odorless radioactive gas that seeps from soil into homes and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who don't smoke. EPA's map puts much of western, central and southern upstate New York in Zone 1, its highest-risk category. Testing is cheap and the only way to know.

SourcesNew York — EPA Map of Radon Zones (EPA)Radon (New York State Department of Health)Health risk of radon (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

Little winter sun for vitamin D

Your skin makes vitamin D from the sun's UVB rays. A classic study found that winter sunlight in Boston, at 42 degrees north, made no vitamin D in skin from November through February. Most of New York lies at or above that latitude, so in winter food is the more reliable source.

SourcesVitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet (NIH ODS)Influence of season and latitude on the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D3 (Webb et al., 1988, PubMed)
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 after a tick bite. Get care for numb, hard or waxy-looking skin after cold exposure.