Artificial Space Weathering to Mimic Solar Wind Enhances the Toxicity of
Lunar Dust Simulants in Human Lung Cells
Abstract
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
brought accidentally 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 applied to human lung
epithelial cells (A549). In addition to pulverization, previously shown
to increase dust toxicity sharply, the simulants were exposed to
hydrogen gas at high temperature as a proxy for solar wind exposure.
This treatment further increased the toxicity of both simulants, as
measured by the disruption of mitochondrial function, and damage to DNA
both in mitochondria and in the nucleus. By testing the effects of
supplementing the cells with an antioxidant (N-acetylcysteine), we
showed that a substantial component of this toxicity arises from free
radicals. It remains to be determined to what extent the radicals arise
from the dust itself, as opposed to their active generation by
inflammatory processes in the treated cells.