Odor is caused by one or more volatilized chemical

compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that

humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction.
It is also commonly called scents, which can refer to both
pleasant and unpleasant odors.
The human sense of smell is a primary factor in the
sensation of comfort. Olfaction as a sensory system brings
awareness of the presence of airborne chemicals. Some
inhaled chemicals are volatile compounds that act as a
stimulus, triggering unwanted reactions such as nose, eye,
and throat irritation. Perception of odor and of irritation
is unique to each person, and varies because of
physical conditions or memory of past exposures to
similar chemicals. A person's specific threshold before
an odor becomes a nuisance depends also on the
frequency, concentration, and duration of an odor.
The sense of smell gives rise to the perception of odors,
mediated by the olfactory nerve. The olfactory receptor (OR)
cells are neurons present in the olfactory epithelium, a small
patch of tissue in back of the nasal cavity. There are millions
of olfactory receptor neurons that act as sensory signaling
cells. Each neuron has cilia in direct contact with air. The
olfactory nerve is considered the smell mediator, the axon
connects the brain to the external air. Odorous molecules act
as a chemical stimulus. Molecules bind to receptor proteins
extended from cilia, initiating an electric signal.
When the signal reaches a threshold, the neuron fires,
sending a signal traveling along the axon to the olfactory
bulb, part of the limbic system of the brain. Interpretation of
the smell begins, relating the smell to past experiences and
in relation to the substance(s) emitted. The olfactory bulb
acts as a relay station connecting the nose to the olfactory
cortex in the brain. Olfactory information is further processed
and projected through a pathway to the central nervous
system (CNS), which controls emotions and behavior as well
as basic thought processes.

Habituation affects the ability to distinguish odors after

continuous exposure. The sensitivity and ability to
discriminate odors diminishes with exposure, and the brain
tends to ignore continuous stimulus and focus on differences
and changes in a particular sensation. When odorants are
mixed, the conditioned odorant is blocked out because of
habituation. This depends on the strength of the odorants in
the mixture which can change perception and processing of
an odor. This process helps classify similar odors as well as
adjust sensitivity to differences in complex stimuli.
ODOR INTENSITY
Psychophysics involves the response of an organism to
changes in the environment perceived by the five senses
[Stevens 1960] . Some examples include how the human
body perceives sound loudness, lighting brightness, or odor
strength. These psychophysical phenomena lead to sensory
responses, which follow a power law. Apparent odor
strength (odor intensity) grows as a power function of the
stimulus odor. S. S. Stevens showed that this power law
(Stevens Law) follows the equation:

Where I is the odor intensity, C is the mass concentration of

odorant in milligrams/cubic meter, mg/m , and k and n are
constants that are different for every odorant.

Figure 3: Odor Intensity Referencing Scales (OIRS) N-Butanol

Odor Intensity < PPM >
12-Point
Scale
[GPR:2]

10 < 6200
>

7 <775>
8 <1550>

1 <10>
2 <20>

4 <80>

10-Point
Scale
[GPR:2]

5 < 160 >

1<12>

6 < 320 >

2<24>

7 <640>

3<48>

8 <1280>

4<96>

3 <40>

9 <2560>

5 <194>

10
<5120>

6 <388>

11
<10240>
12 <20480
>

7 <775>
8 <1550>
9 <3100>

8-Point
Scale [GPR:
2]
1<12>
2<24>
3<48>
4<96>
5 <194>
6 <388>

5-Point
Scale [GPR:
3]
1 <25>
2 <75>
3 <225>
4 <675>

5 <2025>

ODOR PERSISTENCY
Odor Persistency is a term used to describe the rate at which
an odors perceived intensity decreases as the odor is
diluted (i.e. in the atmosphere downwind from the odor
source). Odor intensities decrease with concentration at
different rates for different odors. Odor intensity is related to
the odorant concentrations by the power law (Stevens
Law):

Through logarithmic transformation this function can be

plotted as a straight line:
Log I = n log C + log k
Therefore, the persistency of an odor can be represented as
a Dose-Response function. The Dose-Response function
of a collected odor sample is determined in the odor
laboratory from intensity measurements of the odor sample
at various dilutions and at full strength. Plotted as a straight
line on a log-log scale, the result is a linear equation specific
for each odor sample.
The OIRS serves as a standard practice to quantify the odor
intensity of the ambient air objectively. To allow comparison
of results from different data sources and to maintain a
reproducible method, the equivalent butanol concentration is
reported or the number on the OIRS is reported with the
scale range and starting point.
An example 5-point OIRS with a geometric progression of
three is: Reference Level n-Butanol PPM in Air

Intensity
Odor intensity is the perceived strength of odor sensation.
This intensity property is used to locate the source of odors
and perhaps most directly related to odor nuisance.
Perceived strength of the odor sensation is measured in
conjunction with odor concentration. This can be modeled by
the Weber-Fechner law: I = a log(c) + b
I is the perceived psychological intensity at the dilution step
on the butanol scale, a is the Weber-Fechner coefficient, C is
the chemical concentrations, and b is the intercept constant
(0.5 by definition)
Odor intensity can be expressed using an odor intensity
scale, which is a verbal description of an odor sensation to
which a numerical value is assigned.
Odor intensity can be divided into the following categories
according to intensity:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

no odor
very weak (odor threshold)
weak
distinct
strong
very strong
intolerable

Odor
emission
from
animal
production
buildings is a critical local issue, according to
the National Research Council report to the
livestock and poultry industries (NRC, 2003)
and people living and working near these
operations. Even though federal and some
state agencies do not regulate odors, emission
of odorous compounds remains a high priority
for animal producers (for siting new and
expanding existing operations) and for
neighbours living near livestock and poultry

operations.