PERCEPTION OF ODOR AND NASAL PUNGENCY FROM HOMOLOGOUS SERIES OF VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS

We tested nasal detection thresholds for airborne chemicals in a group of anosmics (i.e., subjects lacking a functional sense of smell) and in a group of age-, gender-, and smoking-status-matched normosmics (i. e., subjects with normal olfaction). Anosmics provided odor unbiased n asal pungency (irritation) thresholds. Normosmics provided odor thresh olds. Homologous series of alcohols, acetates, and ketones served as s timuli. Eye irritation thresholds were also measured for selected acet ates. Most substances evoked pungency (i.e., were detected by the anos mics). All sensory thresholds decreased systematically with carbon cha in length. The gap between pungency and odor grew larger with increasi ng carbon chain length. Pungency thresholds - but not odor thresholds - showed a uniform linear relationship of slope close to unity with sa turated vapor concentration, irrespective of chemical functionality or carbon chain length. This suggests that pungency from nonreactive air borne chemicals rests heavily on a relatively unspecific physical inte raction with a susceptible biophase. Of relevance to indoor environmen ts, such an interaction opens the possibility for a high degree of sen sory addition of pungency front individual components of complex mixtu res resulting in noticeable irritation even when each component is at a level well below threshold value.