AlphaLymph · Integrated Assessment of Indoor Radon and Hazardous Air Pollutants in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – a Case-Control Study in a Radon-Prone Area

Indoor radon is among the leading causes of lung cancer worldwide, but its role in other malignancies such as Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) remains unclear. Few studies have examined these associations or potential interactions with other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), despite strong biological plausibility. AlphaLymph, “Integrated Assessment of Indoor Radon and Hazardous Air Pollutants in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – a Case-Control Study in a Radon-Prone Area”, will address these gaps by establishing the first case-control study on radon and NHL using individual indoor measurements in Galicia (Spain), a well-characterized radon-prone area. The project will also integrate HAPs exposure, combining ecological biomonitoring data with a pilot study using innovative moss-based indoor samplers. Epidemiological analyses will help clarify the role of indoor radon and HAPs on NHL, while the collection of detailed information on potential risk factors will advance the understanding of NHL etiology.AlphaLymph directly supports the EU’s Mission on Cancer and the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan priority, “Saving lives through sustainable cancer prevention”, addressing two major risk factors unexplored in NHL research: natural radiation and exposure to pollution and hazardous substances. Beyond Galicia, the project will extend this integrated exposure framework to radon-prone areas in Germany and Belgium during a secondment at the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection. To maximize societal impact, findings will be translated into actionable outputs during a non-academic placement at the Galician Department of Health, producing a Policy Brief and a Toolkit for regional and local European authorities to mitigate combined exposures in radon-prone areas. By integrating high-quality epidemiology, innovative exposure assessment methods, and direct policy translation, AlphaLymph will generate robust, transferable evidence to inform environmental cancer prevention strategies across Europe.