Radon gas may be giving more Canadians lung cancer. Scientists are racing to save lives

No one wants to imagine their home could threaten their health, but when radon seeps in, that’s exactly what happens.

This naturally occurring gas is released from the ground as the uranium in soil and rock breaks down. It isn’t a health concern when it’s diluted in the air, or if someone’s home has a radon mitigation system to safely funnel the gas outside.

Radon-induced lung cancer kills an estimated 3,200 Canadians each year, and lung cancer, in general, remains the deadliest type of cancer in Canada, even as smoking rates have dropped dramatically in recent decades.

Yet radon isn’t included in cancer screening criteria since — as Blake says — there’s no existing test to prove that someone has had dangerous, long-term exposure.

A group of cross-Canada scientists are now hoping to change that, by developing innovative ways to test for radon exposure using something most of us throw away: toenail clippings.