What Astronaut was allergic to the moon?

At the recent Starmus Festival in Zurich, Switzerland, NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt, the last person to walk on the Moon, shared his experience of suffering from an allergic reaction to Moon dust during the Apollo 17 mission.

As a geologist, Schmitt collected samples of Troctolite 76535, which NASA describes as the most interesting sample ever returned from the Moon. Dust from the lunar surface clung to the suits, boots, and tools of Schmitt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan, causing Schmitt to become congested when he removed his helmet. Speaking about inhaling Moon dust, Schmitt stated that the first time he smelled it, he had an allergic reaction that affected the inside of his nose and voice.

 While Schmitt's reaction dissipated, others may have a different response. He advocates engineering solutions to keep dust out of spacecraft cabins and off suits. Long-term exposure to lunar dust could cause cell death and DNA damage to lung cells, as revealed by recent research, which emphasizes the importance of a detailed understanding of the health effects of exposure.