Atmospheric Taints

[Timerover51]

Could atmospheric taints include the following?

1. Extreme dryness, either from lack of water, excessive heat, or below zero cold.

2. Very high levels of humidity combined with high temperatures, requiring either acclimatization or special clothing.

3. Extreme differences in the day-night cycle.

 

[McPerth]

According JTAS#17 special supplement about atmospheres, extreme temperatures are considered corrosive, not only tainted, so I guess extreme temperatura changes should too. It doesn't talk about humidity extremes (but it neither talks about tainted atmospheres, centering mainly in exotic, corrosive and insidious ones).

IMHO, in any case, any atmosphere that requires protective equipment should be treated (at least) as tainted...

 

[rancke]

Traveller atmospheres are categorized in terms of their practical effect. If you need a breath mask or a reasonable facsimil in order to breathe the air, it's tainted. If you need a compressor, it's very thin. If you need an air supply, but no other protection, it's exotic. If you need protective suits, it's corrosive or insidious. If you need vacc suits, it's vacuum.


Hans

 

[Kilgs]

I would think extreme dryness could certainly be represented by taint... You can breathe it but it requires supplementation of water vapor or something else. The question I would ask is what type of world atmosphere would create it? Would it simply be low hydrographics or is there a gas that is harmless but dries out the atmo?

Some neat brain-wandering regarding evolution of local species... lots of snail-like creatures with hard shells to carry their own moisture. Giant crabs and centipedes!

In the beginning of life's origins on Earth, the first animals to move out of the water all carried their own moisture with them through carapaces and exo-skeletons.

Great information in the first episode of this series... (great series all-around!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/lifeintheundergrowth/

It's available on DVD for cheap. The camera work is incredible.

 

[Spinward Scout]

either from lack of water

I would think a lack of something in the atmosphere would be the opposite of taint. Taint is usually something that shouldn't be there.

 

[McPerth]

I would think a lack of something in the atmosphere would be the opposite of taint. Taint is usually something that shouldn't be there.

Low oxigen level (so lack of it) is (IIRC) canonically considered taint (though people can acclimatate to it)...

 

[salochin999]

Could atmospheric taints include the following?

1. Extreme dryness, either from lack of water, excessive heat, or below zero cold.

2. Very high levels of humidity combined with high temperatures, requiring either acclimatization or special clothing.

3. Extreme differences in the day-night cycle.

You could stretch the definition of "taint" and "corrosive" to be levels of environmental threat

e.g.
taint = something that will either harm but not kill you or kill you but only very slowly (unless you take relatively minor precautions)

corrosive = something that will kill you relatively quickly (unless you take significant precautions)

then you could make "taint" a lot of things which gives you lot of scope for any system with that atmosphere

e.g. plants that produce hallucination causing spores.

 

[Timerover51]

then you could make "taint" a lot of things which gives you lot of scope for any system with that atmosphere

e.g. plants that produce hallucination causing spores.

There is apparently a plant-produced taint on Victoria, see JTAS Number 2, the article on Victoria by Marc Miller. You can do quite a lot with those, but figuring out how to get them through a reasonably good filter mask poses some problems.

 

[aramis]

You could stretch the definition of "taint" and "corrosive" to be levels of environmental threat

e.g.
taint = something that will either harm but not kill you or kill you but only very slowly (unless you take relatively minor precautions)

corrosive = something that will kill you relatively quickly (unless you take significant precautions)

then you could make "taint" a lot of things which gives you lot of scope for any system with that atmosphere

e.g. plants that produce hallucination causing spores.

Insidious is merely a taint that can defeat personal measures in under 12 hours, kills in seconds of contact, and lacks free oxygen.

Corrosive defeats personal defensive measures in a few days... And still kills in hours.

I can think of only two relatively non-toxic group of things that would kill fast enough to be either corrosive or insidious... Halon and Carbon Monoxide.

And carbon monoxide is incompatible with an oxygen rich environment long term; it rapidly oxidizes to carbon dioxide until there is no CO left.

 

[Carlobrand]

I would think extreme dryness could certainly be represented by taint... You can breathe it but it requires supplementation of water vapor or something else. ...

It's a little uncomfortable but, living in a desert, I don't think dry qualifies as a taint. Mostly we just need to remember to drink more water. Otherwise the body's pretty adaptable to dry.

Now, when the wind kicks up and the sand gets to blowing, that gets nasty. Some of that sand is as fine as dust, pays to have a handkerchief or something to cover your mouth. It's the reason cowboys wear those kerchiefs around their necks: when the herd is moving, they kick up that fine sand and it's difficult to breathe without one. So, we in New Mexico are already pretty familiar with filter masks of a sort.

After a good blow, you'll find dusty sand on the dashboard of your car even if the windows were rolled up tight. Seems to infiltrate the vents.

 

[Carlobrand]

Insidious is merely a taint that can defeat personal measures in under 12 hours, kills in seconds of contact, and lacks free oxygen.

Corrosive defeats personal defensive measures in a few days... And still kills in hours.

I can think of only two relatively non-toxic group of things that would kill fast enough to be either corrosive or insidious... Halon and Carbon Monoxide.

And carbon monoxide is incompatible with an oxygen rich environment long term; it rapidly oxidizes to carbon dioxide until there is no CO left.

Hydrogen's insidious. Not likely to see it on most terrestrial worlds, but if you have some reason to go galavanting around in the atmosphere of a gas giant, it will infiltrate. How dangerous it is to humans, I don't know. Assuming you don't get a spark inside the suit, worst you get I think is a squeeky voice. If enough of it infiltrates and you've got electrical stuff in your suit though, that might get - interesting.

 

[aramis]

Hydrogen's insidious. Not likely to see it on most terrestrial worlds, but if you have some reason to go galavanting around in the atmosphere of a gas giant, it will infiltrate. How dangerous it is to humans, I don't know. Assuming you don't get a spark inside the suit, worst you get I think is a squeeky voice. If enough of it infiltrates and you've got electrical stuff in your suit though, that might get - interesting.

Hydrogen's also extremely reactive. Almost as reactive as oxygen, and whatever doesn't react gets lost to the abrasive effects of the solar wind.

Worlds where it's not going to escape readily are also high enough gravity that humans will need gravitics or powersuits.

And getting the hydrogen freed up enough to matter requires plenty of energy; usually, it's a function of life forms.

If it is outgassing hydrogen, then the world's probably still too hot for people.

So, not a likely taint. And it's not terribly toxic to humans.

 

[salochin999]

There is apparently a plant-produced taint on Victoria, see JTAS Number 2, the article on Victoria by Marc Miller. You can do quite a lot with those, but figuring out how to get them through a reasonably good filter mask poses some problems.

The thought that popped into my head when I wrote it was kids organizing parties there and breathing it deliberately or some kind of cult / guru thing - and pops hiring the players to get junior back so in an adventure you could make it the NPCs tripping that caused the problem.

 

[tjoneslo]

There is apparently a plant-produced taint on Victoria, see JTAS Number 2, the article on Victoria by Marc Miller. You can do quite a lot with those, but figuring out how to get them through a reasonably good filter mask poses some problems.

The Plant based taint is used frequently, I know of several other atmospheres tainted by pollen, plant spores, microbes, or similar life forms.

For some of them, the material could degrade the filter material or other aspects of the filtration system, without being immediately fatal to humans.

 

[aramis]

The Plant based taint is used frequently, I know of several other atmospheres tainted by pollen, plant spores, microbes, or similar life forms.

For some of them, the material could degrade the filter material or other aspects of the filtration system, without being immediately fatal to humans.

I think a fun one would be a plant that engages in biological warfare - if it fails to receive pheromones, it releases acid bearing floaters... which have a thin acid-resistant membrane, a "feather" and a drop of hydroflouric, sulfuric, or prossic acid... and the feathers polymerize into an acid-permiable mess when exposed to the acid. Kills the filters. If unfiltered, kills the lungs. Forms matts of feather-glue. Erodes what's under, too....

And, if it's hearty, it can become the dominant life form... at which point, it becomes a major source of surface taint...

 

[FourthWarden]

You could also have a world that had a major life form that essentially acts as airborne barnacles. They are light enough to float in the air, can attach to any surface, and start excreting shells on the surface. They would clog filters quickly, and wreck havoc on machines/vehicles with exposed moving parts if left outside for long.

As for how these barnacles get energy, they could filter pollen and other particulate from the air in order to build their shell and reproduce.