Mars explorers boast high risk of Leukaemia, warns new study

After conducting a lot of studies on how travelling in space is making an impact on the health of the astronauts, scientists have found out that, intense radiations bulging out in space, on the human body are a serious threat to human life. It can cause Leukaemia in Astronauts.

While studying three years long space flight to Mars, scientists are predicting that often travelling to Mars can cause leukaemia. Though the powerful effect of these radiations is still on a researching state, researchers are studying human stem cell to find out the intensity and remedies of these effects.

The research team, for the very first time, is trying to demonstrate the radiation encountered in deep space travel may increase the risk of leukaemia in humans by using mice transplanted with human stem cells. But will this test be successful? It’s still a question.

While talking to Mr Christopher Porada, associate professor of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicines in U.S., he clarified that “Our results are troubling because they show radiation exposure could potentially increase the risk of leukaemia in two ways,”

Though no traces of the intensity of radiation effect on human stem cell is known, scientists are still trying to figure out some dietary supplements that can help their immune system to resist against leukaemia. Scientists are making these dietary supplements by the characteristics of Leukaemia that affect human. But will leukaemia, caused by space radiations can be cured by these nutritional supplements?

NASA reported, “We believe that radiation exposure is the most destructive aspect of travelling to Mars. Once this problem is solved, we guess flying to Mars, for astronauts will be much easier and free of any health issues.”

A round trip from Earth to Mars can take around three years to complete. The distance between Earth and the Mars is 140 million miles, which means that radiation effect on human life will be for a long duration of time.

“The goal of the research study was to assess the direct effects of simulated solar energetic particles (SEP) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) radiation on human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs),”, says NASA specialists.

These human stem cells comprise of less than 0.1 percent of the bone marrow of that present in adults, but they can produce different types of blood cells that may circulate through the body and work to transport oxygen, fight infection, and eliminate any malignant cells that arise. For the research study, human stem cells from healthy donors of the typical astronaut, ageing between 30-55 years were exposed to appropriate doses of protons and iron ions which are almost the same types of radiation that astronauts would be exposed to in deep space – at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The same study which was conducted earlier by scientists from different corners of the Earth have found out how effective space radiations, UV rays, X-rays and cosmic rays can be on Earth’s surface. The new study is trying to figure out whether or not, sending astronauts to Mars would be free of health issues like deadly Leukaemia.