While smoking is the largest cause of lung cancer, this aggressive form of the disease can arise in those who have never had a cigarette. I thought to myself, I can’t have lung cancer,” Bossio said in a statement. The biochemist is leading an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Calgary that is looking at the environmental causes of lung cancer, including exposure to radon. “We’ve learned that our toenails hold long-term information about our exposure to radioactive toxicants in our environment such as radon gas. “People need to understand [that] anyone with lungs can get lung cancer,” said Bossio.