Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 7

Manufacturers and advertisers alike are often accused of over-exaggerating the effect that fragrances have on our sexuality, claiming that their fragrances will give its wearer the power to attract the opposite sex.  Yet are these claims exaggerated?

Can certain fragrances enhance our sexuality?

Manufacturers and advertisers alike are often accused of over-exaggerating the effect that fragrances have on our sexuality, claiming that their fragrances will give its wearer the power to attract the opposite sex.  Yet are these claims exaggerated?

More often than not, our understanding of the effects that certain scents have on our sexuality is clouded by misinterpretations and oversimplifications.  Often at the base of this confusion lies the lack of understanding of the differences between the male pheromones, androstenol and androstenone.

Androstenol is the odour produced by fresh male sweat while androstenone is this same odour after it has been exposed to air over a short period of time.  While women are likely to be attracted to the scent of fresh male sweat, they are likely to be repulsed by the smell of sweat that has been oxygenized—unless women are ovulating, in which case studies reveal that this scent elicits a neutral response.  So unless a woman is going through ovulation, eventually, she is likely to find her sweaty male partner’s scent repulsive.

  

Non-reactive androstenol-based sprays may be less effective than advertisers have led us to believe.  While its scent (which does not react to oxygen) may attract women, it cannot be detected by women who are further than eighteen inches from the scent’s source.  Moreover, in a room where there is more than one male, women are unable to distinguish between the wearer of androstenol-based sprays and other men who are wearing non-androstenol-based colognes.  It is likely, then, that a man may benefit from another’s androstenol-scented cologne.  To further complicate matters, studies reveal that androstenol-based sprays also attract other males!

On the upside, a man would benefit from colognes whose fragrance has an uplifting effect.  Pleasant-smelling colognes that lift a man’s depression and reduce tension, anger and fatigue are likely to produce a positive effect on its wearer that, in turn, attracts women.  A personal sense of happiness, confidence and well-being is by far a more powerful attractant than any androstenol-based spray.

The same can be said for women.  Pleasant fragrances on post-menopausal women have been shown to have a beneficial effect on their emotional well-being which in turn may make them more attractive to their partners.

Romance evoking fragrances

With the pressures coming from all directions, from both public and private life, it’s important to set a sensual and relaxing mood when it is time for romance.   Enhancing a private space for intimacy with fragrance, soft lighting and sensual music is important, especially for older couples who want to shut out distractions from the outside world.

According to a 1995 survey conducted by The New York Times, approximately one third of adults use fragrances to make themselves more attractive to others.  Recently, scientific evidence supports what the perfume industry has long purported: that male fragrances enhance a woman’s sexual arousal. A study conducted by the Olfactory Research Fund indicates that women who fantasized about a sexual experience while smelling a popular male fragrance (whether androstenol-based or not) felt themselves more sexually aroused than while smelling a female or neutral fragrance.

           

Fragrances that evoke a sensual atmosphere include Jasmine, Lavender, Myrrh, Rosa Damascena, Rosa Centifolia, Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang.

Are there specific stages in our lives that relate to our use of fragrance? Perhaps. Studies done by Dr. Schiffman on women ranging from the ages of thirteen to sixty suggest that there are five age-related stages for a woman’s use of fragrance.  Essentially, young girls begin to use fragrances during their teenage years for the purpose of self-identity.  Then during their twenties and thirties, women tend to use fragrances to attract the opposite sex.  During their post-menopausal years, women primarily use fragrances because it is the socially-appropriate thing to do.

Surprisingly, in her follow-up study, Dr. Schiffman found that while women’s reasons still fell into the same five age-related stages, their reasons for wearing fragrances increased and included the need for relaxation and mood enhancement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

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Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 6

Our sense of smell is directly linked to the area of our brains that controls our memories. The slightest hint of an odour can transport us thousands of miles to some of our earliest memories—even to those we were not aware that we had.

Our sense of smell is directly linked to the area of our brains that controls our memories.  The slightest hint of an odour can transport us thousands of miles to some of our earliest memories—even to those we were not aware that we had.

With our sense of smell, every odor when broken down to its smallest component is a chemical formula. Chemicals formulas are molecules in specific configurations. When we smell, a chemical formula rises in the nose and lands on thousands of smell receptors which identifies the molecules and forwards the information to the brain.

That our sense of smell is most closely related to our memory is no surprise given its location.

Olfactory receptors are located next to the limbic system which, according to anthropologists, is the most primitive part of the human brain and where our emotions reside.  It is the site that controls or modifies our emotional and sexual responses, our hunger and thirst responses, and our anxiety and fear responses.

 It also controls our artistic abilities, our perception of space as well as regulating our body temperature, and our ability to think.  It receives and stores information from all of our senses.  Essentially, it’s our master control.

When we inhale a scent, the sensation of its odour is first relayed to our cerebral cortex, where cognitive recognition occurs.  However, before we are able to recognize the scent, the deepest part of our brain becomes stimulated.  Thus, by the time we are able to recognize the pine scent of a Christmas tree, its scent has already activated our limbic system and we are transported back to our childhood memory of decorating Christmas trees from our past.

In this same way, when we smell the gingerbread scent from a votive candle, we instantly think of our grandmother’s kitchen, or making cookies with her when we were children.  It isn’t surprising, then, that studies conducted by Dr. Rachel Hertz suggest that our memories which are triggered by our sense of smell are more emotional than our memories triggered by our other senses.

In one study subjects were given visual (an object), verbal (the name of an object) or olfactory (the scent of an object) stimuli and asked to write down their responses to them.

While responses to visual and verbal stimuli tended to be longer, those to olfactory stimuli tended to be memory-based.

Some of the fragrances that help to increase memory include sweet basil, peppermint, rosemary and thyme.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

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Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 5

Women consistently outscore men with their sense of smell.  A woman’s ability to smell depends on the level of hormones in her body. During ovulation, women are 10,000 times more sensitive to the scent of male hormones than during menstruation.

According to the Sense of Smell Institute, women consistently outscore men with their sense of smell.   Interestingly, however, it has found that a woman’s ability to smell is dependent on the level of various hormones in her body.  A woman’s sense of smell is heightened during the first half of her menstrual cycle and peaks when she is most fertile and sexually responsive.

Women, it seems, have sensitivity to scented sex hormones, or pheromones.   During ovulation, women are 10,000 times more sensitive to the scent of male hormones than during menstruation.

Women sniff out the best mates via pheromones -- the undetectable scents that drive a range of reproductive behaviors. Humans have denser skin concentrations of the scent glands that release pheromones than almost any other mammal. As a result, pheromones are slinging at least some of Cupid's arrows.

However, beware: studies have found that women on birth control pills experience hormonal changes that can interfere with this law of "scent attraction" -- leading to trouble picking the right partner and potential problems with infertility down the line. Once off the pill, some women may find they have a different "sense" about their mate.

Other studies have shown that aside from a woman’s monthly cycle, her gender alone also makes her more likely to have a sharper sense of smell as female babies have a keener sense of smell than their male cohorts.  Studies conducted by Dr. Hilary Schmidt reveal genetic differences in babies’ responsiveness to scents appear to have their origins in infancy.

During her research, Dr. Schmidt noticed that female babies responded to scented rattles while male babies did not.  However, her findings also show that male babies demonstrate a preference for pleasantly-scented rattles over those with an unpleasant scent while their female cohorts demonstrate an equal interest in both.  Overall, scent—whether pleasant or unpleasant—piques the interest of female babies.

According to Dr. Schmidt’s research, children do not demonstrate adult-like preferences regarding odour in their environment until they begin to see their world through adult-like eyes.  At this time they begin to show preferences for pleasant fragrances over unpleasant fragrances.

Interestingly, another study reveals that not all scents produce gender-specific responses, suggesting that sex differences in olfactory prowess may be scent-dependent.  However, more research is needed in this area to conclude whether a woman’s menstrual cycle may play a determining factor in this occurrence.  It may be that certain scents in studies done did not elicit gender-specific responses because its female subjects were menstruating.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 4

Did you know everyone has a unique "scentprint"?  Within seconds of meeting new people, we make sensory decisions about them, one is based on how they smell.  Friendships and romantic alliances depend on what scientists identify as “olfactory bonding.”

Did you know that no two apples smell alike? It’s true. Because every scent that we perceive is composed of a specific and complex combination of molecules, the scent of every apple is unique to itself.  No two apples have identical scents because no two apples are composed of the same combination of molecules.  One apple may be larger, have been exposed to more sunlight, water, nutrients, insecticides or herbicides than its partner hanging next to it on the very same tree.

These slight differences—however miniscule they may be—have a bearing on an apple’s molecular make up, and therefore, have a bearing on its scent.  You might say that every apple has its own “fingerprint,” or “scentprint.”

Each individual also has his or her own unique “scentprint”.  As individuals, we too have our own unique scents.  Factors that determine various body scents include our age, physical condition, medications, illnesses, hormones, biorhythms, the foods we eat, the minerals in the water we drink, our skin and hair colour, and the chemicals in the air we breathe.

Remember the way your skin smelled the last time you ate garlic fingers?  Or how about the last time you ate watermelon?  Think of the scents of the vegetables that were in the salad you ate for lunch—the cucumbers, the red peppers and Spanish onions.  Have you ever noticed that the scents of these foods end up lingering on your skin long after you have washed your hands?  Sometimes even after you’ve had a shower?  Not only are you what you eat, but you end up smelling like the foods that you eat as well!

Consider this: unlike the apples we’ve discussed, whose scents are relatively uniform, every part of our bodies—our hair, mouth, eyes, elbows, underarms, feet, etc.—also have their own scents that contribute to our overall unique scent.

Now add perfume to this equation.  We know that no two perfumes have the same scent.  But did you know that the perfume you put on your throat will smell differently than that which you put on your wrist?  Because different parts of our bodies have various scents, a perfume’s odour is dependent on not only the individual, but on the part of the body of that individual to which it is applied.  And because the scent of our bodies changes from one hour to the next, depending on its exposure to the air and our own body’s biorhythms . . .

How do scents affect the way in which we relate to each other?

According to scientists, within seconds of meeting new people we make sensory decisions about them, one of which is based on how they smell.  According to the Sense of Smell Institute, “deep friendships and romantic alliances are dependent upon, what scientists identify as, ‘olfactory bonding.’”

Not surprisingly, studies show that fragrances have a large impact on how others feel about us and how we feel about others.  In a study by Drs. John Nezlek and Glenn Shean, subjects claimed that when they wore their favourite fragrances they felt better about themselves and felt more comfortable in social situations.  The study also indicated that fragrances were more crucial in opposite-sex interactions.  Moreover, it was shown that as an individual’s appreciation for a fragrance increases so do their social skills.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

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Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 3

Like our eyesight, our sense of smell weakens as we age.  While researchers search for treatments to counteract the effects of aging on our sense of smell, there are four “exercises” that you can do now to keep your nose (and taste buds) young.

Does your sense of smell diminish as you age?

Like our eyesight, our sense of smell weakens as we age.  While the jury is still out in determining just when our sense of smell peaks and begins to decline—some experts say that it peaks at the age of eight and begins to decline as early as the age of fifteen—the general consensus, however, seems to be that our sense of smell remains sharp well into our fourth and fifth decades and that it largely depends on our particular state of health.

As we age, our numbers of olfactory receptor cells diminish.  Research suggests that a sixty-five year old may have as few as one-third as many receptor cells as an individual who is twenty.  And though our sense of smell is most acute between the ages of twenty and forty, we use our sense of smell to enhance our living, alert us to danger, and make important decisions about people and places throughout our lifetime.

In “Taste and Smell Losses with Age” Dr. Susan Schiffman reports that as we get older, our ability to detect odours, discriminate among different odours, and perceive the strength of odours diminishes. She found that odours for many elderly subjects are only half as intense as those for young people.

Though our sense of smell generally begins to weaken after our sixth decade, (in one study, about one quarter of subjects between the ages of sixty-five and eighty years old had a total lack of a sense of smell), Dr. Schiffman claims that the sense of smell of many of the octogenarians would rival that of twenty year olds.  She concludes that that elderly subjects who demonstrate good mental and physical health generally have a sense of smell which is comparable to that of young individuals.

Can you “exercise” your nose to keep it young?

Yes.  While researchers are searching for treatments to help counteract the effects that aging has on our sense of smell (and taste), there are “exercises” that you can do now to keep your nose (and taste buds) young.  Like our other senses, our sense of smell can be kept young with its constant and creative use that includes:

• Using your mind, not your nose to smell.  Imagine the scent of different fragrances in much the same way you imagine the notes of a song. We perceive most fragrances on an unconscious level.  Try to imagine the scent of a cinnamon candle, a peppermint stick, or lilacs in the spring.  Write a list and practice imagining these scents on a regular basis—perhaps, a few times a week.

• Purchase scented candles.  While you enjoy the benefits of their scented aromas, take the time to smell each one individually.  Smell often, but not for long.  Alternate between fragrances.  The more you do this, the sharper your sense of smell will become.  If you need to refresh your nose, step away, blow a few puffs of air through your nose, and then sniff again.   

• Stop and smell the flowers!  Everywhere around you are fragrances.  Your job is to notice and smell them.  In the course of each day, try to make a mental note of at least a couple dozen or more scents.  Try to associate what you did during the day while you experienced these fragrances.   Make fragrance diaries, recording fragrances along with your thoughts and activities.

• Vary your fragrances throughout the day.  Use one fragrance to wake up to, another to give you energy at midday, and another to calm and relax you in the evening.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

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Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell - Part 2

All scent originates as a chemical. Without chemicals, our brain would not be able to perceive a scent. Our sense of smell is fully mature at birth and is one of the first senses that newborns experience.

All scent originates as a chemical.  Without chemicals, our brain would not be able to perceive, or “read” a scent.  All around us are currents of air which are in constant motion.  These currents contain myriads of complex combinations of odours that only trigger our attention when they irritate or please us.

Every time we breathe, our noses take in these chemicals, which pass over two small patch-like areas the size of a penny that contains five to six million tiny yellow receptor cells called the olfactory epithelium.  Located on these receptor cells are microscopic filaments called cilia that extend into a watery mucous that surrounds the epithelium.  On the cilia are proteins that respond to specific molecules.  Like a key in a lock, when these proteins come into contact with its corresponding odorant molecule, a series of biological interactions are initiated. 

First, there is an immediate rush of electrical activity as one experiences the perception of an odour.  Our sensory nerves have long filaments, or axons, that are located on the opposite end of our olfactory nerves. The axons send messages to nerves located in the olfactory bulb which is shaped like a protracted balloon. The millions of axons that line its circumference transmit a pattern of activity that is specific to the individual cilia that come into contact with their corresponding molecules.  Just as our brains are able to store and recognize complex notes from a symphony, it is also able to store and recognize complex combinations of fragrance notes that make up our favorite perfume.

How strong is our sense of smell?

Compared to a dog that has two hundred million olfactory sensors, humans have only five or six million.  While it may seem that humans have been short-changed where noses are concerned, we still can nevertheless, recognize thousands of different scents.

Though we may not have a piranha-sharp sense of smell, we can, for instance, detect some substances in dilutions of less than one part per several billion parts air. 

How sharp is our sense of smell at birth?

Unlike our other senses, our sense of smell is fully mature at birth and is one of the first senses that newborns experience.  Their sense of smell helps them to locate their mother and her source of food.  Without this functioning sense, baby animals would not be able to locate their mothers’ milk. 

Studies indicate that a newborn can recognize his or her mother’s nipple simply by its scent.  In one study, mothers washed one of their breasts while leaving the other left unwashed.  Over two-thirds of the babies tested chose the unwashed breast.

Research conducted by Dr. Ira Lott reveals that when a baby is introduced to a fragrance while being stroked—much like a mother would do while nursing—his or her ability to remember that scent is increased.  The results of her study suggest a connection between a baby’s sense of smell and the ability to learn at an early age.  Dr. Lott suggests that touching a baby increases his or her ability to remember a scent and may help to explain why a newborn readily recognizes his or her mother by her scent.

Other studies suggest that babies are most responsive to body odors but by the age of three they essentially have the same odor likes and dislike as adults. Newborns subjected to pleasant odors reacted positively while those subjected to unpleasant odors responded with “screwed up faces.”  Studies within the womb reveal that fetuses react to fragrances introduced through their mother while newborns are able to recognize her scent in as little as forty-eight hours after their birth. 

Children’s sense of smell—their odor likes and dislikes—do not parallel those of adults until the onset of puberty. A study conducted in 1976 and repeated in 1994 indicates that nine-year olds apparently do not have sensitivity to certain musk odors. However, their ability to detect particular odors is the same as both adults and young adults.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuelle patch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 1

Each day we breathe in billions of odorant molecules.  These scents have a significant impact on our physical and emotional well-being.  Learn some amazing facts about your sense of smell and its power to affect your health and pleasure.

Who among us cannot recall the smell of freshly-baked bread at dinner, the aroma of freshly-ground coffee in the morning, the heady scent of lilacs in the spring or the mouth-watering aroma of baked apples in the fall?  Interestingly, while most of us can recall these scents, quite often we also associate distinct memories with them as well.

In the course of a day each of us will take over twenty thousand breaths, inhale over 438 cubic feet of air and take in countless billions of odorant molecules.  Yet surprisingly, few of us will take notice of more than a mere handful of various scents.  Because we are constantly surrounded by swirls of aromas that enter and emanate from our bodies, we become desensitized to their various scents.

Whether or not we are aware of them, these odours have a significant impact on our physical and emotional well-being.

·         Did you know that your sense of smell is not only one of the first senses that you use as a newborn, but that it is the only one of your five senses that was fully mature at the moment of your birth?

·         Can the scent of peppermint help you to stay awake?

·         Does your hair colour affect the way you smell?

·         Did you know that most of the flavour that you “taste” actually comes from your sense of smell?

·         Did you know that your nose can help you to lose weight while helping your body absorb the maximum nutrients from your diet?

·         Do most females have better noses than males?

·         Can a loss of smell indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease?

·         Did you know that your sense of smell has a stronger link to your memory than any of your five senses?

·         Do overweight people have a heightened sensory pleasure of eating?

·         Did you know that no two apples smell alike?

·         Is there a link between a loss of hearing and certain learning disorders?

·         Did you know that, like your eyesight, your sense of smell diminishes as you age, but that you can “exercise” your nose to keep it “young?”

·         Was Leonardo da Vinci a perfumist?

·         Do people judge us by our scent?

This is the first in a series of 12 articles that explores the awesome power of our sense of smell and how you can harness its power for better health, pleasure and well-being.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Luke Vorstermans

Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, a world leader in the development of innovative products that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual health.  To learn more about enhancing your sex drive with Scentuellepatch go to http://www.scentuellepatch.com

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

The Sense of Smell and Emotional Response

Smell is a specialised chemical sense. It is interesting to note that the olfactory cells are the only place in the human body where the central nervous system is in direct contact with the external environment. When we detect the smell of something, there is a direct contact between the molecules of scent and our own receptors.

The message regarding the molecule of scent is passed along the olfactory nerve to the nerve centre in the brain. The neurons of the olfactory nerve, control the inner responses, i.e. emotions and memories, as well as the body's hormones. There is no generally accepted classification of the basic types of smells recognized by man. The sense of smell can be very sensitive, sensing minute concentrations of some substances in the air.

There is considerable individual variation in the activity of the sense of smell. Adaption can occur to pleasant as well as nasty smells, due to changes in both the receptors and the central connections.

It is important to remember that the inhalation of the aromas of essential oils also has a profound and instantaneous effect on us today. The limbic lobe of the brain receives information about smell via the olfactory nerve and this part of the brain is also concerned with our emotional memory. The limbic system produces the autonomic responses that accompany emotional states and behaviours.

Particular scents can trigger strong, emotional responses which are pleasant or unpleasant according to our own individual experience. Which smells do you find repellent? What are your favourite scents? Perhaps the perfume of a favourite blossom or newly-mown grass, the scents of the garden after light summer rain, the smell of your favourite meal cooking or the perfume worn by a friend, the special scent of a baby or small child.

When oils are inhaled, micro-molecules of essential oils travel through the nasal passages to the limbic system of the brain which is the seat of memory and emotion.

The breathing in of essential oils is thought to trigger memories and emotions within the limbic system, which in turn stimulates a response within the entire system.

With the memory comes instant recall of the associated emotion - pleasure, happiness, laughter, affection or perhaps sadness, pain, grief.

For this reason, it is important to always heed the emotional responses to the aroma of the essential oils you intend to use. If the scent is in any way repellent, then it is wise to adjust your choice of oils for your blend. The subconscious, emotional responses are telling you something of vital importance and you would be wise to listen. Otherwise, you severely curtail the degree of benefit given.

Smell takes a direct, physical route to the brain because they employ nerve cells as transmitters and receivers. Odours travel directly through the olfactory system in the nose and the front part of the head into the limbic area of the brain which processes the smell.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D.S. Braun

Dee is a Certified Aromatherapist, Certified Reflexologist, and Reiki Master. Her site is AkobiAromas.com - a source of quality aromatherapy, herbal and reflexology information and products.

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What is that Smell?

We’ve all been there.  We walk into our office on Monday morning and something doesn’t smell quite right.  You look around thinking maybe you left a muffin in your drawer or a candy bar melted after the power outage, but you find nothing.  Since it’s not that bad and it comes and goes you spray air freshener in your cubical and press on.  But the smell get worse throughout the week and you aren’t the only one smelling it anymore.  What is that smell?  Where is it coming from?  

We’ve all been there.  We walk into our office on Monday morning and something doesn’t smell quite right.  You look around thinking maybe you left a muffin in your drawer or a candy bar melted after the power outage, but you find nothing.  Since it’s not that bad and it comes and goes you spray air freshener in your cubical and press on.  But the smell get worse throughout the week and you aren’t the only one smelling it anymore.  What is that smell?  Where is it coming from? 

Indoor air quality is an important component to keep employees healthy and productive.  Symptoms of deficient air quality can present in many different ways such as fatigue, headaches, difficulty focusing, and soreness of the nose, lungs, throat, and eyes.  These symptoms can be early warning signs for problems that lead to longer lasting health issues.  One indicator of poor air quality or that something un-sanitary is growing in your office building is a foul smell. 

Smell is a strong indicator that something somewhere has gone awry.  Foul odors are also one of the most difficult things to diagnose in a large office environment.  Many times a maintenance manager or a building maintenance company will call an industrial hygiene firm to come out and perform some air tests.  A good industrial hygienist will come out with several pieces of equipment and begin sampling the air.  Typically they will need to take at least one sample in the infected area, one sample outside the infected area, and one sample outdoors.

These different samples allow them to compare the infected area sample with what is in the air “normally” inside and outside.  Sometimes they take more than one sample in the infected area.  In cases where the mystery smell more resembles a musty odor, then the hygienist might pull up a piece of carpet to see if there is any mold growing underneath.  If they see anything that is suspicious looking on the surface then they should take a “surface sample.”  This sample will give the lab something to analyze besides just spores in the air.

Many factors play a role when it comes to air quality.   Bacteria do produce odors and when there is adequate buildup of certain bacteria then there will be smell.  Identifying why those particular bacteria have become prevalent in any situation is the job for an industrial hygienist.  People often try to clean odors with bleach.  While bleach will kill the surface bacteria, it does not penetrate deep and kill the root cause of the bacteria

. 

Indoor air quality is a catalyst for airborne pathogens and should be taken seriously within every office environmentIf you start smelling mystery smells contact an environmental, health and safety firm to perform tests in your office building.  To find a firm near you click here. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leighanna Cumbie 

 I just moved from Chicago to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I have two dogs and am a car enthusiast. Safety in today's work environment is a passion of mine.

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