The war on dust in a major theme in Oakley Hall's Warlock
"The town was dust- and heat-hazed, blurred out of focus. A water wagon with a round, rust-red tank moved slowly along Main Street, spraying water in a narrow, shining strip behind it. But Warlock’s dust was laid only briefly. Soon again it was churned as light as air by iron-bound wheels, by hoofs and bootheels."
I also found, in John McPhee's Basin & Range, this nice theory:
"Once in a great while, the earth moves through cosmic dust that collects near the arms of the galaxy. It has been suggested that this dust might have deflected enough sunlight to bring on the biotic catastrophe."