The dangerous mystery of the toxic side of the Moon
We’ve figured out some pretty amazing stuff about the Moon over the years.
From how it formed billions of years ago to finding water ice tucked away in its craters.
But have these answers come at a cost?
A growing concern is the potential impact of the Moon's atmospheric particles.
Advert
Astronauts are exposed to sharp, abrasive and nasty particles whilst on the lunar surface.
When Apollo astronauts returned from their missions, they found out the hard way how toxic Moon dust could be.
The dust was clinging to their spacesuits and irritating their throats and eyes, causing sneezing and nasal congestion.
NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt called it the 'lunar hay fever' during the Apollo 17 mission which created symptoms in all 12 people who have stepped on the Moon.
For some, it took days for the reactions to fade.
Inside the spacecraft, the dust reportedly smelt like burnt gunpowder.
As a result, scientists are now questioning whether exposure to Moon dust threatens the health of astronauts and what this could mean for future space missions.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a global research program to address the issues.
“We don’t know how bad this dust is. It all comes down to an effort to estimate the degree of risk involved,” says Kim Prisk, a pulmonary physiologist from the University of California with over 20 years of experience in human spaceflight.
Lunar dust contains silicate, a material that's also found in volcanic areas on Earth.
Miners exposed to silicate can suffer from inflamed and scarred lungs - but Moon dust is even more abrasive. In fact, it damaged the boots of Apollo spacesuits and even ate through the vacuum seals of sample containers.
On the Moon, these particles stay suspended longer and can penetrate deeper into the lungs.
“Particles 50 times smaller than a human hair can hang around for months inside your lungs. The longer the particle stays, the greater the chance for toxic effects,” explained Prisk.
Though we don’t fully understand the long-term effects of Moon dust, some worrying research shows that lunar soil simulants can destroy lung and brain cells after long-term exposure.
To test how equipment and how the dust behaves, ESA is working with simulants mined from a volcanic region in Germany.
However, this is not so straightforward.
“The rarity of the lunar glass-like material makes it a special kind of dust. We need to grind the source material but that means removing the sharp edges,” said Erin Tranfield, a biologist and expert in dust toxicity.
Science advisor Aidan Cowley added: “You can heat it to produce bricks that can offer shelter for astronauts. Oxygen can be extracted from the soil to sustain human missions on the Moon."