After examining samples of lunar dust, once extracted by astronauts, scientists came to the conclusion that the minerals contained in it are extremely toxic and can provoke cancer in humans.
Dreams of a colony on the moon, where people walk on a dust-covered surface and live inside huge domes, most likely will not become a reality in the next ten or even twenty years. Yes, sooner or later people will be able to reach the point where it will be possible to create comfortable living conditions on the moon. There are many circumstances complicating the matter, and recently scientists have found out one more thing – it turns out that lunar dust is incredibly toxic to humans.
Thanks to the Apollo missions, scientists on Earth have obtained samples of the dust covering the Moon. As it turned out, this whitish powder is full of compounds that react with human cells: minerals contribute to the formation of hydroxyl radicals, which, in turn, contribute to the development of lung cancer.
Scientists exposed the tissues of rodents first, and then humans to the effect of an analogue of lunar dust. The cells didn’t like it very much – about 90% died as a result. This in itself is quite a big problem: if a sealed spacesuit protects dust from dust in outer space, then in the future, when the exits become massive, small particles will inevitably penetrate into an artificially created environment. Given the fact that the fine ubiquitous dust caused a lot of problems to astronauts, ordinary people may be at risk. Engineers promise that in the coming years they will actively work to protect humanity from this threat.