Pertaining to the sense of smell. It is the least understood of the five senses.  No device exists that has the ability to measure odour response as the human nose. The process of olfaction essentially involves a molecule that stimulates nerve cells called olfactory cells where this information is sent to the brain for interpretation.

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A substance capable of eliciting an olfactory response. It is simply something that has a distinctive smell. Odourants come in all variations and can be used as a safety precaution to alert us when there is a toxic (naturally unscented) gas in the air, such as household gas.

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Represents the pleasantness or unpleasantness of an odour. It is subjective to each person and therefore may evoke an emotional response depending on experiences with that odour.  It measures how acceptable an odour may be and is indicative of the potential of an odour becoming a complaint. Some form of scale is used to judge the odour. According to VDI3882, a scale of -4 to 4 is used. -4 represents extremely unpleasant odour, 0 represents neutral odour and 4 represents extremely pleasant odour.

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ASTM E679-04, the United States standard for the “determination of odour and taste threshold by a forced-choice ascending concentration series method of limits”, provides guidance on both olfactometry and sampling.

The ASTM E679-04 is the most commonly used standard in the USA for olfactometry, however, outside of USA standard EN13725 is more commonly accepted.

Differences between ASTM E679-04 and EN13725 is mostly on panellist screening and on minor details of olfactometry. One highly controversial difference is the presentation flow, which is set at only a minimum of 5 litres per minute in ASTM E679-04 and 20 litres per minute in EN13725. It is however technically possible to run at 20 litres per minute and still comply with the ASTM standard.

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Anosmia is the temporary or permanent complete loss of ability to perceive odour. Temporary anosmia is most commonly a result of infection or nasal blockage. Permanent loss of smell may be due to olfactory nerve damage or a brain injury. A person may have a loss of smell for one particular scent, known as specific anosmia. If an assessor is noticed to detect odours during analysis but is not detecting a specific odour this may be due to specific anosmia.

Anosmia Causes

Nasal congestion from a cold, allergies, infections, or even poor air quality can trigger a loss of smell. Other causes include:

• Polyps, small growths (not cancer-related) in the sinus blocking the nasal passage.
• Some form of injury to the nose or a form of head trauma triggering it.
• Exposure to VOCs or other harmful chemicals
• Nasal-based drug use.
• Old age. One’s sense of smell is strongest between the ages of 30 and 60, however, it begins to decline after age 60.
• Certain medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, Vitamin deficiencies, congenital conditions, and hormonal disturbances.
• Radiation treatment of head and neck cancers.

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