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Medical Toxicology Considerations for Space Exploration
Sarah Shafer1, David Schaffer2, Grant Anderson3
1Division of Medical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
|February 6, 2025
Summary
Spaceflight toxic exposures, particularly from hydrazine and ammonia, pose significant health risks. Developing clinical protocols is crucial for managing these acute events in space.
Area of Science:
- Aerospace Medicine
- Toxicology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Spaceflight presents unique health risks, including toxic exposures from vehicle and operational chemicals.
- Acute toxic exposures are a concern in austere space environments with limited medical resources.
- Advancements in commercial spaceflight necessitate publicly available clinical protocols for toxic exposure management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on spaceflight toxic exposures.
- To inform the development of clinical practice guidelines for managing acute toxic exposures in space.
- To identify high-risk agents and inform future protocol development.
Main Methods:
- Focused literature review of publicly available data.
- Inclusion of NASA-published literature, safety reviews, case reports, and review articles.
- Searches across NASA Technical Reports Server, Google Scholar, and PubMed for relevant incidents.
Main Results:
- Identified 34 cases involving agents with potential for acute toxic effects during spaceflight.
- Hydrazine and ammonia were the most common agents implicated in acute toxicologic exposures.
- Analysis of incidents, including fatalities, injuries, and near-misses, highlights key risks.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical need for clinical protocols to manage spaceflight-related toxic exposures.
- Identifying common toxic agents like hydrazine and ammonia is vital for risk mitigation.
- Developed protocols will enhance astronaut safety in current and future space missions.
Keywords:
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