Volatile Organic Compounds Sources, Measurements, Emissions, and the Impact on Indoor Air Quality

Recent years have witnessed a steady increasing interest in olfaction by both clinicians and basic scientists along with a profusion of new techniques that allow a closer look at the anatomy and physiology of olfaction. In response to these rapid developments, the editors have compiled "The Science of Olfaction", a comprehensive, interdisciplinary reference that bridges the gap between recent basic science and clinical work in the fields. The papers present the current state of knowledge regarding the sense of olfaction and its relationship to the brain. The material ranges from the molecular architecture of olfaction to its cognitive-sensory links and dissolution in disease and contributes significantly to the understanding of the puzzle that makes up the study of brain function.

Science of olfaction

https://escholarship.org/content/qt0mv466n9/qt0mv466n9.pdf?t=opovl8

Thresholds for odor and nasal pungency

Objectives To develop a test kit for the simple assessment of retronasal olfactory function and to compare orthonasal and retronasal olfactory function in healthy subjects and patients with olfactory disorders. Design and Patients We tested 230 individuals with normosmia, hyposmia, and anosmia using grocery-available powders. Initially, 30 different substances were investigated. Subjects identified each substance using a list with 4 verbal items (forced choice). After preliminary experiments, 20 items were selected according to the degree to which they were identified by normosmic and anosmic subjects. Orthonasal olfactory function was assessed psychophysically using "sniffin' sticks," which includes tests for odor identification, discrimination, and butanol odor thresholds. In addition, anosmia was confirmed electrophysiologically by means of olfactory-evoked potentials. Results In healthy subjects, there was a test-retest reliability correlation of r 27 = 0.76 for retronasal olfactory function, which is similar to other odor identification tests. Retronasal testing in normosmic subjects allowed for the discrimination of sex-related differences, with women scoring higher than men ( P = .007), and the identification of a slight decrease with age ( r 120 = −0.20; P = .03). Orthonasal and retronasal identification of odors was found to correlate ( r 86 = 0.78; P P P = .03). No difference was found between patients with anosmia of different origin. Conclusion Results of the present investigation indicate that the assessment of retronasal olfactory function is possible using oral stimulus presentation.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/articlepdf/482813/ooa10079.pdf

Clinical assessment of retronasal olfactory function.

Accurate assessment of upper respiratory tract and ocular irritation is critical for identifying and remedying problems related to overexposure to volatile chemicals, as well as for establishing parameters of irritation useful for regulatory purposes. This article (a) describes the basic anatomy and physiology of the human upper respiratory tract and ocular mucosae, (b) discusses how airborne chemicals induce irritative sensations, and (c) reviews practical means employed for assessing such phenomena, including psychophysical (e.g., threshold and suprathreshold perceptual measures), physiological (e.g., cardiovascular responses), electrophysiological (e.g., event-related potentials), and imaging (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging) techniques. Although traditionally animal models have been used as the first step in assessing such irritation, they are not addressed here since (a) there are numerous reviews available on this topic and (b) many rodents and rabbits are obligate nose breathers whose nasal passages differ considerably from those of humans, potentially limiting generalization of animal-based data to humans. A major goal of this compendium is to inform the reader of procedures for assessing irritation in humans and to provide information of value in the continued interpretation and development of empirical databases upon which future reasoned regulatory health decisions can be made.

/pdf/assessment-of-upper-respiratory-tract-and-ocular-irritative-m1ywd4ohjy.pdf

Assessment of upper respiratory tract and ocular irritative effects of volatile chemicals in humans.

https://escholarship.org/content/qt18g8v484/qt18g8v484.pdf?t=oqrh3d

G Noriega

Papers

Gender differences in the perception of pungency.