Lack of hygiene in MIR

1998/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

The
Italian microbiologist Mario Pitzurra, who has worked with Russian scientists, has stated that the lack of cleanliness in the Mir space station can cause serious consequences to the astronauts present. The basic hygiene of the station is very poor and there are usually large cleaning problems, according to Pitzur.

Skin diseases and respiratory system infections have already appeared among astronauts. Many of these diseases seem to come from foods that were not in proper conditions.

Cracks have analyzed samples of Mir astronauts and analyzed the loss of microorganisms. According to the results of their research, in these conditions, stained, sweatshirts and confined, 50,000 microorganisms can be lost per day while in normal conditions 3,000 are lost.

However, those responsible for the Russian Space Agency say that there is no reason to worry because the health studies performed on astronauts have yielded very good results.