Hazardous but natural particulates in an atmosphere
So I'm trying to develop a world that's very inhospitable to my characters (humans.) And I'm looking for a some sort of fine dust that is naturally occurring but deadly if inhaled after about a day of breathing it in. This threat would have to be easily nullified with a dust mask.
The world itself is Cold (about -10 degrees F.) It has a lower gravity but a slightly thicker atmosphere than Earth (about 2 atm.) This dust would be found everywhere.
Currently I'm using fine sulfur dust.
Any good alternatives? And if so what effect would it have on a snowy landscape?
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One idea is that a really cold world doesn't have to be a dead world.
Bowlturner is right that moisture in the air or snow is going to knock out the dust pretty fast, and so you'll have to replenish it somehow.
So you could have a plant that thrives in the cold, and that releases spores into the air. This could have advantages for the plant since it would be a way to spread or pollinate without insects which might have trouble with a cold world.
It could be some kind of snow algae.
Many spores are harmful to humans, and would drift in the wind or hang on the air for a while before precipitating out and seeding more algae.
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