“ I think all of us should test whether we have a lung cancer diagnosis or not ,” says Ezeife . “ I think that , in Alberta and in Canada , it ' s important to be informed about the radon levels in our homes
.”
Along with gaining a better understanding of lung cancer caused by environmental exposure , the researchers are also studying specific DNA mutations caused by exposure to the type of radiation emitted by radon that are linked to an increased risk of developing lung cancer .
Aaron Goodarzi and MSc student Austin Atkins in the Environmental Cancer Research Hub . Samanthaa Lafleur
Confirming the environmental risks we ’ ve been exposed to
Dr . Mike Wieser , PhD , a professorr of physics and astronomy in the Faculty of Science , is working with a new state-of-the-art mass spectrometer linked with a first-of-its-kind-in-Canada metallomics laboratory , where scientists can measure the level of metals that have been absorbed into the body and have collected in our cells . Signs of lung cancer-associated environmental exposures can be detected in human tissue , like toenails .
The technologies being developedd in this facility are innovating new ways to reveal what people have been exposed to
, by how much , and how that may be impacting their health . Wieser , BSc ’ 91 , MSc ’ 94 , PhD ’ 98 , says transdisciplinary work is vital ; he recently attended the
Radiation and Air Pollution Induced Disease ( RAPID ) Prevention and Early Detection Workshop .
The RAPID workshop series , hosted by UCalgary and first held on campus in 2019 , is among the first of a new kind of scientific meeting that brings scientists , architects , epidemiologists , health services professionals and patient-partners together to discuss ways to study and prevent environmental causes of lung cancer .