The first known extraterrestrial allergy

Astronauts who walked on the Moon in 1972, in addition to bringing back several kilograms of rocks, also brought back a mild allergic cold... the first known extraterrestrial allergy.
 
Although all astronauts who stepped on the lunar surface came into contact with the Moon's dust, it was the last astronauts who were most affected by it, possibly because the crew of the final missions spent more time and took more walks on its surface. This dust is so fine that it can stick to the joints of spacesuits and be transported into the spacecraft, where once inside, it can penetrate the pores and lungs of lunar explorers, causing not only temporary discomfort but also potentially leading to more serious conditions like silicosis or heavy metal poisoning.
 
Gene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, the last man to step on the Moon, said it took him two months, with daily showers, to get rid of all the lunar dust he brought back from his mission. Both he and Jack Schmitt, a geologist and the only scientist to walk on the Moon, spent over three days in the Taurus-Littrow Valley, in the southeastern part of the Sea of Serenity on the Moon.
 
In December 1972, these two adventurers conducted three long walks with the aid of a lunar vehicle, covering 30 kilometers and collecting 110.5 kilograms of lunar rocks in the 22 hours and 4 minutes they were outside the lunar module. Clearly, this was more than enough time to be completely covered in that dark lunar dust.
 
Cernan's first impression was that it was "soft like snow, but oddly abrasive." Even more curious is the remark by astronaut John Young from Apollo 16, who asserted that its taste "isn't all that bad." However, one thing all agreed on, from Neil Armstrong to Cernan, was that lunar dust "smells like burnt gunpowder."
 
Every time the lunar explorers returned to their refuge in the lunar module, they inadvertently brought the dust with them. It stuck to their boots, legs, and gloves, and no matter how hard they tried to brush it off before entering the cabin, there was always a significant amount that made its way inside. Once inside, without their helmets or gloves, they could smell and taste the Moon.
 
This element caused the first case of extraterrestrial allergy when geologist Jack Schmitt reported to Houston with a congested voice, saying: "After taking off my helmet after the first outing, I was quickly hit with a dust reaction. I felt my nostrils getting wet." A few hours later, the reaction subsided. "But it came back after the second and third outings, though with less intensity. I think I developed some sort of immunity to lunar dust," he later declared.
 
It's interesting that the only civilian among the astronauts to walk on the Moon was also the only one to report this reaction. Did the others not experience it, or did they not admit it? Laughing, Schmitt says, "Pilots are reluctant to report their ailments; they fear being grounded."
 

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