Have you checked for Radon?
Radon and its progenitors won't produce nearly enough radiation to damage plastics like that at naturally occurring levels.
Radon is a noble gas and chemically inert. It's radioactive, which is why it's a toxicity worry. But there was enough radiation in that basement to mechanically damage plastic in three years, OP would be long since dead.
Radon and its progenitors won't produce nearly enough radiation to damage plastics like that at naturally occurring levels.