Use of a calibration gas generator for irritation threshold assessment and as supplement of dynamic dilution olfactometry

Indoor Air Quality-An Overview of Methods for Measuring Odor Detection Thresholds of Single Substances

Odor evaluation is an important topic in the field of indoor air quality. Odor detection threshold (ODT) values are used to derive limit values like odor guide values or odor activity value. However, ODT values for the same substance available in compilations or published before 2003 rarely have an accuracy of less than three orders of magnitude. Stimulus preparation, including analytical verification, stimulus presentation, as well as selection and training of test subjects have been identified as major sources of variability. ODT values obtained by validated standardized methods are now considered objective, reliable, and reproducible. They exhibit a variability of one or two orders of magnitude and are lower than traditionally assumed and reported. This review presents the essential criteria for a well-performed ODT determination. It is intended to assist health and safety professionals in assessing whether the methodological approach of a study was appropriate for determining a valid and reliable ODT value.

Design of a Novel Axial Gas Pulses Micromixer and Simulations of its Mixing Abilities via Computational Fluid Dynamics

Following the fast development of microfluidics over the last decade, the need for methods for mixing two gases in flow at an overall flow rate ranging from 1 to 100 NmL·min⁻¹ with programmable mixing ratios has been quickly increasing in many fields of application, especially in the calibration of analytical devices such as air pollution sensors. This work investigates numerically the mixing of pure gas pulses at flow rates in the range 1–100 NmL·min⁻¹ in a newly designed multi-stage and modular micromixer composed of 4 buffer tanks of 300 µL each per stage. Results indicate that, for a 1 s pulse of pure gas (formaldehyde) followed by a 9 s pulse of pure carrier gas (air), that is a pulses ratio of 1/10, an effective mixing up to 94–96% can be readily obtained at the exit of the micromixer. This is achieved in less than 20 s for any flow rate ranging from 1 to 100 NmL·min⁻¹ simply by adjusting the number of stages, 1 to 16 respectively. By using an already diluted gas bottle containing 100 ppm of a given compound in an inert gas same as the carrier gas, concentrations ranging from 10 to 90 ppm should be obtained by adjusting the pulses ratio between 1/10 and 9/10 respectively.

The Influence of Humidity on Assessing Irritation Threshold of Ammonia

A large number of occupational exposure limit values (OELs) are based on avoiding of sensory irritation of the eyes and the upper respiratory tract. In order to investigate the chemosensory effect range of a chemical, odor and sensory irritation thresholds (lateralization thresholds, LTs) can be assessed. Humidity affects olfactory function and thus influences odor thresholds; however, a similar effect has not been shown for sensory irritation thresholds. The purpose of the present study was to explore whether LTs for ammonia vapor vary depending on the water vapor content of the inspired stimulus. Eight healthy nonsmoking volunteers were simultaneously exposed to ammonia vapor through one nostril and clean air through the other and were asked to determine which nostril received the chemical. Within experimental runs, ascending ammonia concentrations (60–350 ppm) that were either dry or humidified were administered at fixed time intervals. Geometric mean LTs obtained at wet (181 ppm) or dry (172 ppm) conditions did not differ significantly (P = 0.19) and were within the range of those reported by previous studies. These results suggest that humidity is not a critical factor in determining sensory irritation thresholds for ammonia, and future studies will examine if these findings are transferable to sensory irritation thresholds for other chemicals.

The Use of Sensory Analysis Techniques to Assess the Quality of Indoor Air

The quality of indoor air is one of the significant elements that influences people's well-being and health inside buildings. Emissions of pollutants, which may cause odor nuisance, are the main reason for people's complaints regarding the quality of indoor air. As a result, it is necessary to perform tests aimed at identifying the sources of odors inside buildings. The article contains basic information on the characteristics of the sources of indoor air pollution and the influence of the odor detection threshold on people's health and comfort. An attempt was also made to classify and use sensory analysis techniques to perform tests of the quality of indoor air, which would enable identification of sensory experience and would allow for indication of the degree of their intensity.