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Int Arch Occup Environ Health (2008) 81:683694 DOI 10.1007/s00420-007-0262-4
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Odor frequency and odor annoyance Part II:doseresponse associations and their modiWcation by hedonic tone
Kirsten Sucker Ralf Both Michael BischoV Rainer Guski Ursula Krmer Gerhard Winneke
Received: 5 March 2007 / Accepted: 7 September 2007 / Published online: 29 September 2007 Springer-Verlag 2007
Abstract
Objective Risk-assessment for environmental odors and the development of an appropriate guideline for protection against undue odor annoyance have long been hampered by the diYculties of assessing odor exposure and community annoyance responses. In recent years, however, dose response associations between frequency of odor events and odor annoyance level in the aVected population were established. However, the inXuence of hedonic tone (pleasantnessunpleasantness) and perceived odor strength (intensity) on the degree of odor annoyance have long been
neglected in such studies and accompanying guidelines. In order to close this gap a pertinent Weld study was conducted in the vicinity of six odor emitting plants, two with pleasant (sweets production, rusk bakery), with neutral (textile production, seed oil production), and with presumably unpleasant odor emissions (fat reWnery, cast iron production).
Methods A standardized sensory method was developed (described in Part I in the accompanying paper) to quantify intensity and hedonic tone within the assessment of odor exposure by systematic Weld inspection with trained observers. Additionally, exposure-information, the degree of annoyance, and the frequency of general health complaints and irritation symptoms were collected from the exposed residents through direct interviews. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to establish doseresponse associations between odor frequency, intensity and hedonic tone as independent variables and annoyance or symptom reporting as the dependent variable.
Results It is shown that exposure-annoyance as well as exposuresymptom associations are strongly inXuenced by odor hedonic. Whereas pleasant odors induced little to no annoyance, both neutral and unpleasant ones did. Additional inclusion of odor intensity did not improve the prediction of odor annoyance. Frequency of reported symptoms was found to be exclusively mediated by annoyance. The results are discussed in terms of environmental stress emphasizing the WHO-deWnition of health.
Conclusions Based on these Wndings the existing German guideline against undue odor annoyance was modiWed.
Keywords Odor annoyance
Doseresponse relationship Intensity Hedonic tone Field study
Parts of these Wndings were presented at the 15th...