IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy.
Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt B):112121. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112121. Epub 2021 Sep 24.
The olfactory nuisance, due to the emissions of active molecules, is mainly associated with unproperly managed waste disposal and animal farming. Volatile compounds e.g., aromatics, organic and inorganic sulfide compounds, as well as nitrogen and halogenated compounds are the major contributor to odor pollution generated by waste management plants; the most important source of atmospheric ammonia is produced by livestock farming. Although an odorous compound may represent a nuisance rather than a health risk, long-term exposure to a mixture of volatile compounds may represent a risk for different diseases, including asthma, atopic dermatitis, and neurologic damage. Workers and communities living close to odor-producing facilities result directly exposed to irritant air pollutants through inhalation and for this reason the cumulative health risk assessment is recommended. Health effects are related to the concentration and exposure duration to the odorants, as well as to their irritant potency and/or biotransformation in hazardous metabolites. The health effects of a single chemical are well known, while the interactions between molecules with different functional groups have still to be extensively studied. Odor emissions are often due to airborne pollutants at levels below the established toxicity thresholds. The relationship between odor and toxicity does not always occurs but depends on the specific kind of pollutant involved. Indeed, some toxic agents does not induce odor nuisance while untoxic agents do. Accordingly, the relationship between toxicity and odor nuisance should be always analyzed in detail evaluating on the characteristics of the airborne mixture and the type of the source involved.
由于活性分子的排放而产生的嗅觉异味主要与废物处理和动物养殖不当有关。挥发性化合物，例如芳香族化合物、有机和无机硫化物化合物以及氮和卤代化合物，是废物管理厂产生的恶臭污染的主要贡献者；大气氨的最重要来源是由畜牧业产生的。尽管有气味的化合物可能是一种滋扰而不是健康风险，但长期暴露于挥发性化合物的混合物可能会导致不同的疾病，包括哮喘、特应性皮炎和神经损伤。生活在产生气味的设施附近的工人和社区通过吸入直接暴露于刺激性空气污染物，因此建议进行累积健康风险评估。健康影响与气味剂的浓度和暴露时间以及其刺激性效力和/或生物转化为危险代谢物有关。单一化学物质的健康影响是众所周知的，而具有不同官能团的分子之间的相互作用仍有待广泛研究。气味排放通常是由于空气中的污染物浓度低于既定的毒性阈值。气味和毒性之间的关系并不总是存在，而是取决于涉及的特定污染物。事实上，一些有毒物质不会引起嗅觉异味，而无毒物质则会。因此，应始终根据空气中混合物的特性和涉及的源类型详细分析毒性和嗅觉异味之间的关系。
