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March 19, 2023
A class of gifted people discovered that the Epipen used in case of allergy turned into a dangerous poison once in space and NASA did not know it.
Image above: Very effective against anaphylactic shock on Earth. the Epipen is unusable in space. Image Credit: Getty Images.
You can't think of everything before a space mission, but you should. Thus, NASA had never considered whether the Epipen could be safely used on board a space vehicle. This adrenaline auto-injector is used on earth in case of anaphylactic shock due to an allergic reaction. It can therefore be part of the first aid kit if an astronaut has an allergy.
Students at an elementary school in Ottawa, Canada, part of a program for gifted learners, wondered. And their proposal was selected by NASA to be included among the experiments of the Cubes in Space program. The latter allows schoolchildren to carry out tests in space, by embedding their experiments in satellite cubes.
The students therefore placed in two cubes, one embarked on a rocket, the other on a space balloon, a sample of pure epinephrine (the basic substance used in Epipen) and a solution found in these syringes. Analyzed on their return to earth, these substances showed astonishing modifications.
Mutated to benzoic acid
While 87% of the epinephrine was still pure, 13% had transformed into highly toxic benzoic acid derivatives. As for the Epipen solution, it no longer contained any trace of epinephrine, as noted by ZME Science. This means that an astronaut unaware of this and victim of an anaphylactic shock would not have been treated by an injection of Epipen, or even would have even been poisoned. These transformations are undoubtedly the result of the exposure of products to space radiation.
The students are now working on the sequel, that is to say finding a capsule that would allow the Epipen not to transform in space. Otherwise, you will have to find another product for allergic shocks.
Related links:
Cubes in Space: https://www.cubesinspace.com/
ZME Science: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/school-kids-show-nasa-how-life-saving-epipens-become-poison-guns-in-space/
Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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