Trying to answer that question is how Bossio became interested in the research Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, is doing at the University of Calgary.
Goodarzi leads an interdisciplinary team looking at environmental causes of lung cancer, like radon. The naturally occurring, odorless, colourless but radioactive gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking.
Despite that, rules governing lung cancer screening programs can’ t yet include radon exposure as one of the risk criteria. The reason being few people can reliably report their radon exposure across decades like they can report the number of years they’ ve smoked tobacco.
Goodarzi may have a solution. He’ s currently recruiting for a study that may provide critical data to estimate a person’ s lung-cancer risk on the added basis of long-term radon exposure. To do this he needs Canadians’ toenail clippings.
Toenails contain a living history of some of the toxins you are exposed to
Study participants will collect their toenail clippings each month for four months, Colleen De Neve