What health risks do lunar dust pose for human astronauts? This is what a recent study published in Life Sciences in Space Research hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the impacts of lunar dust on human lung cells and the steps that can be taken to mitigate these risks for future lunar astronauts. This study has the potential to help scientists, engineers, astronauts, and the public better understand the health risks for future lunar astronauts and the methods that can be developed to mitigate them.
For the study, the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to demonstrate the damage that next-generation lunar dust simulants could cause human lung cells and compared them to local air pollutants. The motivation behind the study was the experience of the Apollo astronauts who landed on the Moon and experienced health concerns from inhaling lunar dust that was tracked back into the lunar module and stuck to their spacesuits. In the end, the researchers made a surprising discovery that lunar dust does not damage human lung cells as severely as Earth dust.
“It's important to distinguish between a physical irritant and a highly toxic substance,” said Michaela B. Smith, who is a PhD Candidate at the University of Technology, Sydney and lead author of the study. “Our findings suggest that while lunar dust may cause some immediate irritation to the airways, it does not appear to pose a risk for chronic, long-term diseases like silicosis, which is caused by materials like silica dust.”
Microscopy image of lunar dust simulant sample. (Credit: Michaela B. Smith)
This study comes as NASA plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 and is taking necessary steps to protect astronauts from harmful lunar dust, which proved troublesome for Apollo astronauts, as noted above.
How will lunar dust impact lunar astronaut health in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Life Sciences in Space Research, EurekAlert!
