The mammalian response to lunar particulates.

The response of germfree mice to subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injection of aqueous suspensions of lunar fine material (LFM) was evaluated. Both uninjected mice and mice injected with dry heat sterilized LFM were included as controls. After injection, the majority of mice were subjected to serial sacrifice to assess the time course of the tissue response. A smaller group of animals were held for lifespan studies. The observations suggest that LFM is relatively insoluble in tissue and that, while acting as a low grade irritant, it has little tendency to evoke reactive fibrosis.