There is a relatively recently discovered cave in France that has some astounding prehistoric paintings on its walls, most likely the oldest in the world. It also has, as most caves, a high concentration of the toxic Radon gas.

This amazing cave is probably the clearest proof in favor of the argument that an artist must be high in order to create. Recently discovered, the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave is believed to be perfectly preserved since the last human stepped inside some 27000-26000 years ago. The walls are filled with the artistic expressions of the hallucinations induced by CO2 and radon gas. The final room, 1312-feet underground is filled with monsters and is believed to be the last stage in what seems to be a ritualistic descent into madness. The paintings show incredible sophistication, some with even 3D details, suggesting that intoxication may indeed sharpen artistic skills.

Predatory animals cover the walls of the cave: lions, panthers, bears, owls, rhinos, hyenas and the legs & genitals of a woman.

Visiting the cave is dangerous, but the acclaimed purveyor of atavism, Werner Herzog has made a 3D documentary, which he released at TIFF ‘10 (intro, Q&A 1, 2, nyu, afi, ebert).

The cave is carefully preserved and the general public is not allowed to enter. Herzog received special permission from the French minister of culture to film inside the cave. Having received permission, Herzog nonetheless had heavy restrictions while filming inside the cave. All people authorized to enter must wear special suits and shoes which have had no contact with the exterior. Because of near-toxic levels of radon and carbon dioxide, nobody can stay in the cave for more than a few hours at a time.

Aren’t you glad he went there instead of you? In any event, Herzog used 3D only for this documentary and has no plans to ever use it again – he felt that only thus could he accurately portray the vision of the original artists.

Interestingly, those who seek toxic pleasures similar to this speleological adventure could find it in their own home (cbc-radon):

On July 21, 2009, a United Nations committee said radon gas in homes is directly linked to a small risk of lung cancer. Based on the report, the World Health Organization and other agencies are in the process of revising their recommendations on maximum radiation doses for homes and workplaces. According to an earlier report by a government committee that was set up to review Canada's radon guidelines, lung cancer caused by exposure to radon gas killed 1,589 Canadians in 2001. It accounted for more deaths that year than accidental poisonings, homicides and drownings — combined.

Apparently, the levels of exposure to radon in Canada were five times higher than in the rest of the world – similar to levels considered safe for uranium miners and were only recently revised down:

On June 8, 2007 — 15 months after the Federal-Provincial Territorial Radiation Protection Committee received a report recommending tightening the guidelines — the federal government announced a new standard of 200 Bq per cubic metre. That's a level considered safe by most industrialized countries, including Russia, the Czech Republic and China. The United States recommends a level of 150 Bq per cubic metre.

Here’s the situation in Canada:

You might wonder, how can you assess your home and are you affected?

The Canadian report that recommended tighter guidelines noted that as people make their homes tighter and more energy efficient, they may also be inadvertently raising radon levels. The report suggested the government should explore a system of grants and subsidies to help homeowners with the costs of testing and cleaning up radon gas.

Steps you can take inside your home include:

• Sealing all cracks and openings in the walls and floors of your basement as well as around drains and pipes.
• If your basement floor has a sub-floor, make sure it is ventilated.
• Replace an earth floor with a concrete floor.
• Increase the ventilation in your basement or other enclosed space where radon may accumulate.
• Paint basement floors and walls. Use a sealant on top of the paint and add polyethylene sheets to basement walls.

More videos: [euronews] [nyc] [brunell] [amateurs] [universal] [Rhone-Alps] [chauvet] [radon-usa] [ra-mitigation] [ra-epa] [ra-surgeon] [ra-inspection] [ra-vent] [healthcanada] [ra-doc] [ra-kills] [ra-proofing] [ra-test2] [ra-cancer]

Sources / More info: wiki-speleology, wiki-chauvet, wiki-cave, fr-chauvet, ns-age, herzog-cave, ny-1sti, imdb-cave, cbc-radon