suspended particles

Suspended particles are tiny bits of solid or liquid matter floating within a gas or liquid medium, held aloft by the movement or properties of the surrounding substance rather than settling to the bottom.

In air, suspended particles include dust, pollen, smoke, and pollutants; in water, they might be sediment or microscopic organisms.

The term appears frequently in discussions of air quality, where suspended particles or particulate matter pose health risks when inhaled.

The haze over the city was caused by suspended particles from nearby wildfires.