Mars Dust Is Toxic. How Will Future Astronauts Deal With It?

NASA wants to send astronauts to Mars one day. But before that can happen, scientists need to solve a big problem: the dust on Mars is toxic. Earlier this year, NASA put together a special team called the Martian Dust Limit Working Group. Their job was to study how harmful Mars dust could be to human health and figure out ways to protect future crews.

The team included experts from many fields — doctors, engineers, geologists, and even volcanologists. Together, they looked at what we know and don't know about Mars dust. They wanted to set a safe limit for how much dust astronauts could be exposed to without getting sick.

Brian Hynek is a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He was one of the experts on the team. He said the study was unique because it brought together so many different kinds of specialists to think about a problem that no one has ever faced before.

Hynek pointed out that the moon and Mars both have dust problems, but in different ways. 'The moon is worse in some ways and Mars is worse in other ways,' he said. Understanding both helps scientists prepare for future missions.

Astronauts who walked on the moon during the Apollo program — sometimes called the 'dusty dozen' — found that lunar dust was a much bigger problem than anyone expected. Moon dust is made of very tiny, sharp particles that look like broken glass under a microscope. It stuck to everything, wore down spacesuits, clogged equipment, and even irritated the eyes and lungs of the astronauts.

Mars dust is a little different. The particles are more rounded and not as sharp as moon dust. But Mars dust comes with its own serious dangers. It contains harmful chemicals called perchlorates, as well as heavy metals and other substances that can cause cancer. 'We can use the lunar knowledge, but Mars is a totally different place,' Hynek said.

One surprising concern is food. Scientists have talked about growing crops on Mars so astronauts don't have to bring all their food from Earth. But Hynek warned that Martian soil is full of harmful chemicals. 'The astronauts might get more exposure from what they are growing on Mars than the actual airborne dust,' he said.

No matter how careful astronauts are, some dust will always find its way inside their habitat. Engineers are already working on filtering systems to clean the air inside. They are also thinking about how much time crews will need to spend cleaning dust off equipment and surfaces every day.

Joel Levine is a research professor at William and Mary in Virginia and an expert on lunar dust. He pointed to a 2026 National Academy of Sciences report that listed Mars dust as a key issue for mission planners. The report called for scientists to study what causes big dust storms on Mars and to learn how Martian dust affects human health and equipment. 'It looks like we learned our lesson about dust at future human landing sites,' Levine said.

Shaunna Morrison is a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey and was a member of the working group. She said one of the biggest lessons from the study is that Mars dust is a real problem, but one that can be solved — as long as engineers think about it from the very start. 'Martian dust is a real crew-health and engineering issue, but it is also a tractable one if it is treated as a design requirement from the beginning,' she said.

Morrison explained that the danger isn't that Mars dust will instantly make someone very sick. The bigger concern is long-term exposure. Astronauts will live in a closed habitat for many months, and every time they go outside, they bring dust back in on their suits and equipment. The dry air inside makes tiny dust particles easier to float around and be breathed in, and over many days even small amounts could build up in an astronaut's lungs.

Morrison said the most important rule is simple: keep dust out in the first place. 'The best strategy is prevention first,' she said. Engineers should design habitats and suits to stop dust from getting inside, clean it up fast when it does, and keep track of how much is in the air — so that astronauts never have to depend on medicine to fix a problem that could have been prevented.