Study reveals chemical contamination on International Space Station

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals in dust collected from the International Space Station exceed those found in floor dust from many American and western European homes, new research reveals. In the first study of its kind, scientists analysed a sample of dust from air filters within the ISS and compared them to organic contaminants found in houses on Earth. Our findings have implications for future space stations and habitats, where it may be possible to exclude many contaminant sources by careful material choices in the early stages of design and construction Professor Stuart Harrad, University of Birmingham Co-author Professor Stuart Harrad, from the University of Birmingham, said: “Our findings have implications for future space stations and habitats, where it may be possible to exclude many contaminant sources by careful material choices in the early stages of design and construction. “While concentrations of organic contaminants discovered in dust from the ISS often exceeded median values found in homes and other indoor environments across the US and western Europe, levels of these compounds were generally within the range found on earth.” Contaminants found in the space dust included polybrominated diphenyl ethers, hexabromocyclododecane, novel brominated flame retardants, organophosphate esters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, perfluoroalkyl substances, and polychlorinated biphenyls.