Lung Cancer Risk Factors Study – Frequently Asked Questions2024-11-20T15:41:34-07:00

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions related specifically to the Lung Cancer Risk Factors study.

 

Does the Cancer and Caregiver Experience survey apply to me?2024-12-06T16:26:37-07:00

The Cancer and Caregiver Experience survey contains questions related to three distinct experiences:

1) The experience of being a patient with a cancer diagnosis

2) The experience of being a caregiver for a loved one with a cancer diagnosis

3) The experience of being a parent to children under the age of 18, while dealing with your own or a loved one’s cancer diagnosis.

If any of these experiences apply to you, we encourage you to participate.  However, we understand if you feel that it is not relevant to you.

Is online the only way for me to participate in the Lung Cancer Risk Factors study? Is there another way for me to participate?2024-11-20T15:20:28-07:00

We recognize not everyone prefers online participation.  However, the online sign-up process has improved since our last survey and is much more user-friendly now, so we encourage you to try our online instructions again.

Also, we are here to help you with this process if you need it!  Feel free to request for assistance by sending us an email or giving us a call.

For those that need an option other than online for the Lung Cancer Risk Factors study, please let us know and we will adjust your participant file settings.  This is important feedback for us to capture as it helps inform our approaches for this study and future studies.  We have been looking at alternate formats to administer our surveys such as over the telephone for some participants.

If you need to contact us, please email us at tomorrow@ahs.ca or call us at our toll free number 1-877-919-9292.

What should I do if I encounter technical difficulties while completing this survey?2024-11-20T11:56:18-07:00

If you experience technical difficulties that are preventing you from logging in and accessing the online survey, we encourage you to try to log-in on a different device if you have one.  If this still doesn’t work, please let us know.

If you were attempting to log-in from a work device, try a personal device instead.  Some employers have strict security settings (e.g., firewalls) that restrict how users can navigate their networks and this could prevent you from accessing platforms like Alberta.ca Account or the ATP Participant Portal.  A personal device likely won’t have the same setting in place.

To maintain high quality services, Alberta.ca Account does undergo regular maintenance.  During the following maintenance windows, you may encounter service disruptions (all times in MST):

  • Monday to Saturday, 10:00 PM to 10:30 PM
  • Sunday, 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM
  • Thursday, 11:00 PM to Friday, 3:00 AM
  • Second Sunday of the month for up to 24 hours

If you experience technical difficulties within the survey itself, require help with resetting your password for your Alberta.ca Account, or you still can’t log-in despite trying multiple devices, please send an email to tomorrow@ahs.ca or call us at 1-877-919-9292.  We are here to help!

When I go to login, I reach an ATP webpage instructing me to “Submit My PIN”. This step wasn’t in your invitation email so where can I get my PIN?2024-11-20T13:34:05-07:00

If you have reached the “Submit Your PIN” webpage (see picture below), your Alberta.ca Account is not connected to the ATP Participant Portal.

To complete this, please do the following:

Please click the blue “Send My PIN” button and follow the instructions to reset your account setting and have your PIN emailed to you.  After this, you will be able to enter your PIN, click submit, and reach the ATP Participant Portal.

If you require assistance, please get in touch by emailing us at tomorrow@ahs.ca or by calling 1-877-919-9292.

How do I complete surveys for Alberta’s Tomorrow Project?2024-11-20T11:53:30-07:00

If you are a registered participant of ATP, we will contact you to let you know when a new survey is available for you to complete.

Why collect toenails?2024-11-20T11:51:20-07:00

We know – seems like a strange ask and gives some people the ick!  Toenail samples are surprisingly useful.  They can be used to look for things like lead and arsenic, and chronic stress.  New research is also underway to see if certain elements measured in toenails can reflect long-term radon exposure.  If toenails can be used in future studies or the clinic to assess radon exposure, then people won’t have to do radon testing in their home for months.  From the practical side,  toenails are less likely to be contaminated by external things (compared to hair), they grow slowly (compared to fingernails), and are easy and cost-effective to collect and store in our biobank.  If you’re worried about anyone critiquing your toenail clippings, rest assured – your samples will be stored with a barcode and not your name.  So please consider giving us your toenail samples – you’re clipping them anyway!

What are the requirements for toenail collection?2024-11-20T11:51:07-07:00

Toenails should be in generally good health (e.g., no fungus, etc.).  You must be willing to not wear toenail polish for 2 weeks prior to each collection of clippings.  You must be physically able, or have a caregiver who is physically able, to collect ALL toenail clippings over the entire 4-month period.  Finally, you need to ensure to return your toenail clippings with your radon testing kit at the end of the 4-month period.

How should I collect the toenail samples?2024-11-20T11:51:59-07:00

Please refer to the instructions included in the radon testing package that was mailed to you. Briefly:

  • Please ensure your toenails are clean prior to cutting and collecting – after normal showing/bathing is a great time.
  • Use a clean pair of toenail clippers or scissors and clip the nails from ALL of your toes over a piece of clean paper or paper towel.
  • Carefully transfer the clippings from the paper/paper towel into the sample bag.
  • Label the bag(s) with the date of collection.
  • Store the bag(s) in a safe place until it’s time to mail them back – a dark, dry and secure location such as a drawer or cupboard is great.
  • We would like at least 3 cuttings, spaced about 1 month apart each. But if you cut your toenails more frequently, that’s ok – please just collect all clippings over the full 4 months of your test.

Can I contribute toenail samples if I’m not part of the radon testing study?2024-11-20T11:52:50-07:00

Thank you for your generous offer!  At this time we can only accept toenail samples from participants who have been invited to the radon testing study.  However, you can let us know if this is something you’d be interested in for the future.

What’s involved in the radon testing sub-study?2024-11-20T11:45:21-07:00

We will invite 5000 participants to receive a free radon testing kit.  If you are invited, you will be asked to set up the radon kit, leave it in your home for 4 months, and then return it using a prepaid package.  Your kit will then be sent for analysis and the test results will be returned to you by email and in the ATP Participant Portal.  You will also be asked to complete surveys with the Evict Radon National Study that will collect more information about your home and activity patterns (e.g., how much time you spend in your home vs other locations).  Finally, you will also have the option to collect toenail clippings – a collection kit will be included in the radon package mailed to you, and you can include them when you return the kit.  Why toenails?  Please see this related FAQ question to find out more.

Who is eligible to receive the testing kit through the ATP study?2024-11-20T11:46:06-07:00

Eligible participants that have completed the Lung Cancer Risk Factors Survey will be selected at random to receive a radon test kit from Evict Radon.  Participants will be asked to complete a survey prior to setting up the device.

I was not selected to receive a radon test kit. Can I still test my home?2024-11-20T11:46:47-07:00

Yes, absolutely – however, the cost of the test won’t be covered by this ATP study.

If you are interested in doing radon testing in your home, we encourage you to check out the Evict Radon National Study.  The Evict Radon National Study provides radon kits at-cost (i.e. non-profit) for ~$57 CAD (incl. tax) through their partners at Radon West Inc. (a Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program – C-NRPP – certified radon test provider).  The Evict Radon National Study has robust quality control methods in place, to ensure that the radon result you receive is accurate and reliable.  In addition, data that you provide to the Evict Radon National Study (including the radon testing results) will go into research to help others in the future.

At a later date, ATP is also planning to ask participants who are in both the Evict Radon National Study and ATP to let us combine the data.  This will allow us to make data from both studies available more broadly through ATP for researchers to use.

If you prefer to order a kit from another reliable source, please visit Take Action on Radon, a Health Canada funded initiative to list credible radon testing kits and vendors.  It is important to use a C-NRPP certified test provider and radon test, as there are known issues (including recalls) that have been identified with some kits sold commercially (e.g., not reliable, not accurate).

Where can I find a reputable radon test kit?2024-11-20T11:47:28-07:00

As mentioned in other sections, we encourage you to check out the Evict Radon National Study, which has quality control measures in place and uses the data for research.  If you prefer to explore other options, Health Canada’s National Radon Program is testing and evaluating radon test kits.  They work alongside the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP) to validate and recommend radon testing standards.  To obtain a credible radon testing kit and certified vendors, please go to the Take Action on Radon or Evict Radon National Study websites.

There are also community-based programs available, such as through the Take Action on Radon 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge.  The program provides up to 100 test kits to municipalities to distribute to community members who want to participate.  Communities will get a report back of the measured radon levels.  Some communities in Alberta have already participated!

Where can I find information about radon testing?2024-11-20T11:48:04-07:00

If you’re not sure about testing or want more information about it, visit Test4Radon.ca to learn more based on your situation.

What about library lending programs that have radon testing kits?2024-11-20T11:48:39-07:00

You may have seen a lending program at your local library, where members can ‘check out’ a radon test kit.  Health Canada’s National Radon Program has looked at the test kits used by various library lending programs.  Library lending programs tend to use radon testing kits that are reliable and reasonably accurate for radon testing; however, they are usually only available to borrow for short-term tests (e.g., 7-21 days).  Short term radon testing is NOT enough to get a reliable radon level reading.  To get a reliable radon reading, the test needs to last at least 91 days.  Health Canada’s National Radon Program is currently also evaluating the long-term functioning of the units available in library lending programs.

What do I do if the test results say my residential radon levels are high?2024-11-20T11:49:15-07:00

The good news is that there are ways to mitigate (i.e. reduce) radon levels through renovations.  The types of renovations and therefore costs can vary depending on features of your home (type, location, number of storeys, etc.).  A certified Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program provider can determine the best radon reduction me