Dry carbon-dioxide bath in Mátraderecske

A volcanic eruption is often accompanied by gas discharge of which contents by getting into the blood circulation through breathing or the skin create healing effects. Geologists call this phenomenon MOFETTA which can be differently contented depending on geological features. Balneotherapic application of carbon-dioxide has more thousands years of history. In the I. century Celsus and Pilnius treated their patients in amphitheatre-like 'pools', mofettas. Paracelsus used the healing gas for burns, ulcar, and female disorders in the 16th century. It has been used for 600 years in folk curing in Transilvania. The effect of carbon-dioxide as a vasodilator was written down by Lister in 1858. The development of treatments is related to R. Cobet, H. Hediger and G. Parade's name from 1929 to 1932.

The significance of carbon-dioxide's effect mechanism and medical health results rose to notice because of recently fought off so cold civilized diseases. In medical treatment dry carbon-dioxide has significance already as well as a physiotherapical factor. The natural carbon dioxide dry bath has been applied for hundreds of years in Europe (Romania, Poland, Italy, Austria). Depending on the contents of the gas the indicational circle changes. Transilvanian, Mofettas ,high in sulphur, are primarily used for treating rheumatological and motorical disorders and the dry bath, mainly with carbon-dioxide, has excellent effect on angiological illneses as well.

In Hungary the only volcanic gas discharge can be found in Mátraderecske.

The village lies on the North side of the Eastern Mátra, 120 kms away from Budapest and 30 kms from Eger. Its population is 2300, it is rich in natural recources (its mineral water has almost the same components as that of the water of Bükkszék). The air is fresh and clean and has a magnificent view.

The inhabitans have learned to live with the gas escape over the centuries, however, it happened many times that people became indisperitioned in deeper built places or cellars, or mass death of poultry happened and a person died in one occassion while diging a well. The carbon-dioxide characteristic of dug wells have been known since the 1930's.

It was reported by people in 1992 that the gas escape had increased so because of those reports geological, chemical, physical, radiological and medical researches were done to find out more about the characteristics of the phenomenon and to utilize it for medication. Components of the gas:

The radon content of the healing gas in Mátraderecske is quite high its radioactivity is: / 222 Rn / 125 kBq/m3.
(MTA ATOMKI)

The escaping gas at the Mátraderecske region comes from the highly fractioned trias age cavern water cistern layer.

Through the deep eocen volcanic andesit the gas escapes closer to the surface of the ground and from beneath the young 1000 meters deep gas trapping sediment it discharges to the surface with 400l/hour speed.