Sanitary Protection and Space Activities -

Article

Open Access

by Oleksandr Zyma¹ and Olha Soloviova²
¹ Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Kharkiv, Ukraine)
¹ Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Kharkiv, Ukraine)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/6/8
Received: 21 August 2020 / Accepted: 27 September 2020 / Published: 10 December 2020

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Abstract

The events of 2019-2020 have drawn attention to the threats that can be caused by uncontrolled outbreaks of poorly researched viral or infectious diseases. Sanitary (sanitary and epidemiologic) legislation is of certain importance in countering the epidemic. Its shortcomings are now evident, and significant improvements will be made in the near future at both national and international levels. Changes in the approach to space activities and their commercialization will soon lead to the regular impact (return) of objects of extraterrestrial origin or objects which have been in direct contact with them to the Earth. The issue of protection against possible entry of unexplored mass diseases of extraterrestrial origin into the planet remains unfaced. It is our hypothesis that such entry, particularly of viruses, is not excluded and could pose a significant threat to humanity. We develop proposals to establish a legal and regulatory framework to counter and overcome these threats. These proposals should be considered in modernizing the International Health Regulations and other health legislation.

Keywords: space activities; sanitary protection; organisms of extraterrestrial origin.

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Zyma, Oleksandr and Olha Soloviova (2020) Sanitary Protection and Space Activities. Advanced Space Law, Volume 6, 72-79. https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/6/8

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