Volatile organic contaminants found in the habitable environment of the Space Shuttle: STS-26 to STS-55.
Aviat Space Environ Med
; 65(9): 851-7, 1994 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-7818456
The health and performance of spacecraft crews can be adversely affected by contaminants present in the respirable air. Contaminants originate from hardware offgassing, crew and microbial metabolism, use of utility chemicals, leakage from fluid systems and payload experiments, and from electrical overheating. The quality of Shuttle air is measured by collecting contaminants in evacuated cylinders or on sorbent resin for later ground-based analysis by gas chromatography (GC) and GC mass spectrometry (MS). The results of those analyses are presented for 28 missions, including 5 Spacelabs which were flown in the payload bay of the Shuttle. The major contaminants were relatively nontoxic alcohols (ethanol, isopropanol), ketones (acetone, diacetone alcohol), alkanes, halocarbons (Halon 1301, Freon 113), and siloxanes. Occasionally, more toxic contaminants, such as methanol, acetaldehyde, and tetrachloroethene, were present at low concentrations (below 1 mg/m3). The contaminant concentrations measured in spacecraft air were compared to spacecraft maximum allowable concentrations (SMAC's) which are set to protect the crew from adverse health effects or performance decrements. Aggregate toxicity assessments (T values) of the contaminants present during each mission, calculated by summing the ratios of measured concentrations to each contaminant's SMAC, showed that air quality consistent met the criterion that the T value be less than 1.
Buscar en Google
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Vuelo Espacial
/
Contaminación del Aire Interior
/
Nave Espacial
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aviat Space Environ Med
Año:
1994
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos