CALGARY - Calgary researchers want your toenail clippings.
The pesky, razor-sharp slices that end up in a dusty corner, or stuck to the bottom of your feet, are needed for a lung cancer pilot study.

Researcher co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, right, and Dr. Kerri A. Miller, second from right, shared some of their process with lung cancer patients and volunteers Emi Bossio, left, and Tim Monds, second from left, in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. The researchers are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon levels. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)

University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, and Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)

Researcher co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, right, and Dr. Kerri A. Miller are seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. The researchers are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon levels. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)

University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, and Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)

University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, and Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon exposure. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
Researcher co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, right, and Dr. Kerri A. Miller, second from right, shared some of their process with lung cancer patients and volunteers Emi Bossio, left, and Tim Monds, second from left, in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. The researchers are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon levels. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, and Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
Researcher co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, right, and Dr. Kerri A. Miller are seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. The researchers are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon levels. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, and Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
University of Calgary researchers, seen in this handout photo, in Calgary, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, from left, Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, physics professor in the Faculty of 国产诱惑福利, and Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, are looking for toenail clippings to assist with a research study relating to lung cancer and radon exposure. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Colleen De Neve for University of Calgary UToday (Mandatory Credit)
CALGARY - Calgary researchers want your toenail clippings.
The pesky, razor-sharp slices that end up in a dusty corner, or stuck to the bottom of your feet, are needed for a lung cancer pilot study.
Dr. Aaron Goodarzi from the University of Calgary says measuring radioactive lead in toenails can help estimate long-term exposure to radon.
The colourless, odourless, radioactive gas forms naturally when certain metals break down in rocks, soil and groundwater, and it goes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes.
It's the second-leading cause of lung cancer in Canadians, especially for those who don't smoke.
"鈥淎fter you inhale radon, it quite quickly transforms into a specific type of radioactive lead. Your body treats radioactive lead from radon like it does all lead and stores it in slow-shedding tissues such as the skin, hair and nails,鈥 Goodarzi said in a news release Wednesday.
The Canadian Cancer Society-funded project is hoping to recruit 10,000 Canadians 鈥 and their toenails.
Participants must test their homes for radon and send in their toenails for analysis.
"If this validation trial works, it could transform the future landscape of cancer prevention in Canada," Goodarzi said.
"The data will form the evidence that could lead to the inclusion of more patients, whose lung cancer is not caused by tobacco smoke, in potentially life-saving early screening and diagnosis."
This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published Oct. 8, 2025.
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