JAKARTA – A new study reveals the International Space Station (ISS) filled with dust, not ordinary dust but toxic chemicals.
An analysis of dust samples from air filters taken on the ISS found they contained higher-than-average levels of several types of potentially hazardous chemicals, including so-called chemicals forever compared to dust in homes on Earth.
Some are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a compound often found in non-stick, stain resistant products, food packaging, and firefighting foam.
From ISSthe PFOA level is about 3.3 parts per million; for comparison, the highest level found in a survey of homes and child care centers in the United States (US) in 2008 was about 2.0 parts per million.
According to research, the high levels of PFOA on the ISS may be due to the widespread use of waterproofing treatments that prevent microbes from growing aboard the Earth-orbiting craft.
“While the concentrations of organic contaminants found in dust from the ISS often exceed the median values found in homes and other indoor environments across the US and Western Europe, levels of these compounds are generally within the range found on Earth,” said co-author Professor Stuart Harrad. from the University of Birmingham, in a statement, quoted Wednesday, August 9.
Not only PFOA, contaminants found in dust on the ISS include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), novel brominated flame retardants (BFRs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS ), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).
OPE and BFR are chemicals used to meet fire safety regulations, such as building insulation, furniture fabrics, carpets and foam.
Not a few studies that reveal, this compound can be bad for children’s health. Researchers say BFR continues to increase on the ISS because astronauts sometimes suck on wall panels and acoustic insulation.
Likewise the foam that is found in every ISS room to package and protect goods from severe shocks when sent via rocket launch.
The researchers suspect that some of the chemicals (PBDEs) found in dust on the ISS may have come from the plastic in items astronauts take with them for personal use, namely MP3 players, cameras and tablets which can all contain a flame retardant coating.
As for why there are high levels of chemicals on the ISS, it may be partly due to the higher levels of ionizing radiation in orbit.
The radiation makes materials age faster on the ISS, breaking down plastics into micro- and nano-plastics that float in a microgravity environment.
With these new findings published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the researchers and NASA’s Glenn Research Center hope their work can help engineers choose non-toxic materials and guide future spacecraft designs.
“Our findings have implications for the ISS and future habitats, where it may be possible to exclude multiple sources of contaminants with careful choice of materials in the early stages of design and construction,” concludes Harrad.
For information, the ISS is currently not only inhabited by astronauts from NASA, there are also Russia (Roscosmos) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Soon on August 15, the Crew-7 mission will also launch to ISS carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos.
2023-08-09 16:12:00
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