If you worked at or near the site of the building collapse in Surfside, researchers with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine want to examine your toenails.
Dr. Natasha Schaefer Solle, a research assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the nail can reveal cancer risks.
“A first responder will be able to clip their toenails, mail them to us and we take them into the lab, and we will be able to see the exposure they had heavy metals over a long period of time,” Schaefer Solle said.
The researchers are hoping that close to 1,000 people — including police officers, firefighters, and volunteers — will participate. The new study launched this week. It will closely monitor workers over the next several years to examine the effects of the exposure.