[ad_1]
Listen carefully, though, and he often cites debates that transcend his day-to-day work, escape the realm of science altogether, and drift toward metaphysics: Is man’s aversion to putrid odors nature or nurture or both? How can a perception be measured? And how do you give people the confidence they have in their eyes and ears with their noses?
What Can the Nose Tell Us?
A scent is quite simply the result of chemicals in the air, and the human nose is much better at detecting them than is often appreciated. Some of the most recognizable and strong odors, such as hydrogen sulfide (think rotten egg), can be detected at even the smallest concentrations of 1 part per billion.
From Iowa State, Dr. “If you were to map the distance from New York to Los Angeles, 1 part per billion would only amount to a few inches along this route,” Koziel said.
This fact also captures the challenge of regulating scents. Hydrogen sulfide in such small concentrations is unlikely to pose a health risk. Still, it’s “very disturbing to humans,” said clinical psychologist Susan Schiffman, who has been studying smell and taste for half a century.
Despite its nauseating power, there are several laws in the United States that regulate odor. It makes up a significant portion of complaints to government agencies, including a quarter of complaints to the Federal Office of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Yet there is debate over whether a scent is inherently dangerous.
“Measuring emissions is one thing, but smell is a sensation. “This leaves us in a dilemma about how we regulate it, as it can be experienced so differently by many people,” said Pamela Dalton, a psychologist who studies odor perception at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. “Every industry has the potential for off-site emissions, even a cookie factory,” he added.
[ad_2]
Source link