Artificial space weathering to mimic solar wind enhances the toxicity of lunar dust simulants in human lung cells

During NASA's Apollo missions, inhalation of dust particles from lunar regolith was identified as a potential occupational hazard for astronauts. These fine particles adhered tightly to spacesuits and were unavoidably brought into the living areas of the spacecraft. Apollo astronauts reported that exposure to the dust caused intense respiratory and ocular irritation. This problem is a potential challenge for the Artemis Program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for extended stays in this decade. Since lunar dust is “weathered” by space radiation, solar wind, and the incessant bombardment of micrometeorites, we investigated whether treatment of lunar regolith simulants to mimic space weathering enhanced their toxicity. Two such simulants were employed in this research, Lunar Mare Simulant-1 (LMS-1), and Lunar Highlands Simulant-1 (LHS-1), which were added to cultures of human lung epithelial cells (A549) to simulate lung exposure to the dusts. In addition to pulverization, previou..., , , # Artificial Space Weathering to Mimic Solar Wind Enhances the Toxicity of Lunar Dust Simulants in Human Lung Cells. Published in GeoHealth.

**[Plain Language Summary]**
With the Artemis program, humans will soon return to explore the Moon. However, lunar surface dust has toxic potential that must be assessed in order to clarify short-term and long-term health risks for Artemis astronauts. Numerous studies indicate that Moon dust has chemical and physical properties that may strongly affect dust toxicity. Unlike terrestrial dust, lunar regolith experiences “space weathering” under a vacuum, including the effects of solar wind, which further modifies the bulk and surface properties of this dust. In this work, we used two lunar dust simulant materials that were chemically treated to mimic the effects of space weathering. This treatment strongly increased all the toxic effects of both simulants: cell killing, mitochondrial dysfunction, and damage to DNA. Other experiments point to free ...