This study is aimed at elucidating the fractional composition, volume and toxicity of dust that is deposited in the snow cover for the period of snow accumulation at different distances from coal mines and a coal-fired power station in the Kemerovo region (Russia). During the filtration process, fractions of 10–0.1 µm and less than 0.1 µm were isolated and weighed. Light microscopy was used to estimate the size of dust particles in the 10–0.1 µm fraction. We found that the total volume and fractional composition of dust has no significant trend to change in the research space. The dust contamination is associated mainly with PM₂ particles. Genotoxic tests on cell lines A549 and MRC-5 with different concentrations of dust showed high toxicity (including control points). Taking into account the fact that an increase in the concentration of PM leads to intensification in the toxicity of dust, we can determine that the territory within the studied boundaries is dangerous for the population. Our study is important for understanding the processes of formation, toxicity, transport and sedimentation in the snow cover from dust generated in the process of coal mining and the operation of a coal-fired power station.

Studying dust pollution intensity from the mining industry is essential for the sustainable development of industrial regions worldwide, as it balances economic growth, social well-being, and environmental safety. This study presents the results of a dust pollution study of snow near a coal open pit (during the stripping and pre-mining stage) in the Kemerovo Region-Kuzbass, Russia. We sequentially assessed the mass of PM₁₀ and PM_0.1 and the fractional composition of PM₁₀ using light microscopy, determined the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and conducted X-ray diffraction (XRD). We found that the mineral composition of the PM₁₀ fraction contained diffraction peaks from quartz, talc and clay minerals, while calcite, bassanite and zeolite were discovered in PM_0.1. The total dustiness was 605 ± 24 μg/cm² and 204 ± 18 μg/cm² for PM_0.1 and 401 ± 14 μg/cm² for PM₁₀. Particles in the 0.1–2.5 µm range predominated within PM₁₀, with a mean size of ~1 µm. For all directions, there were no significant trends of an decrease in dust mass with growing distance from the open-pit coal mine. The increase in PAHs in snow coincided with the prevailing eastern wind direction during the snow accumulation season. The present study is important for understanding the processes of dust formation, transport, and deposition during coal mining preparation and operation, dust mineral composition, the amount of PAHs in the snow cover, and to take into account the role of the meteorological conditions, particularly wind direction, and topography.