Vasati Lung

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Vasati Lung is a colonial colloquialism originating from the various populations that have settled the semi-terraformed planet of Vasati over the years. In most cases, the use of the term is in reference to the syndrome that arises from exposure to the high amount of perchlorates in the Vasatian environment (as compared to Plateian averages); this occurs most often through either inhalation of atmospheric dust or ingestion of perchlorate-containing particulates. Hypothyroidism is the chief problem of this condition, depriving the human body of thyroid hormones and resulting in symptoms such as (but not solely) fatigue, depression, and muscle weakness.

What makes the condition particularly dreaded is the compounded complications of hypothyroidism with symptoms that arise from non-perchlorate sources; such issues were the most prominent in the early decades of Vasati's colonization. These problems include increased exposure to spaceborne radiation from Vasati's thinner atmosphere, lower gravity that accelerates muscular atrophy over time, and secondary conditions as a result of extreme weather and hazardous conditions present on less terraformed regions of Vasati.

The term is considered by some to be a historical misnomer, as most of the effects of Vasati Lung have little to do with the lungs themselves; perchlorates can be systemically absorbed through lung mucosa, but otherwise have little effect in the local area. For others, it is presumed that the term got its name from the method of perchlorate introduction into the human body, rather than area of effect.