| Title: | Efficacy of volatile organic compounds in evoking nasal pungency and odor |
| Author(s): | Cometto-Muniz JE; Cain WS; |
| Address: | "Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut" |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00039896.1993.9936719 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0003-9896 (Print) 0003-9896 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Sensory irritation (pungency) figures prominently among the symptoms associated with polluted indoor environments. In order to separate the pungent from the olfactory response, we measured nasal pungency thresholds in subjects lacking olfaction (anosmics) and odor thresholds in normal controls (normosmics) for a homologous series of ketones and for selected secondary and tertiary alcohols and acetates. As seen previously for homologous alcohols and acetates, both types of nasal thresholds decreased with increasing carbon chain length. Pungency thresholds decreased exponentially with chain length. With respect to all nonreactive chemicals studied so far, threshold nasal pungency is achieved at a fairly constant percentage of vapor saturation, irrespective of molecular size or chemical functional group. Such a relationship does not hold for odor thresholds. The outcome for pungency implies an important role for a physical, rather than chemical, interaction with nasal mucosa" |
| Keywords: | "Acetates/pharmacology Adult Aged Air Pollutants/*pharmacology Air Pollution, Indoor Alcohols/pharmacology Female Humans Ketones/pharmacology Male Middle Aged *Odorants/analysis Olfaction Disorders/physiopathology Olfactory Receptor Neurons/drug effects/*p;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineCometto-Muniz, J E Cain, W S eng DC00168/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ DC00284/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 1993/09/01 Arch Environ Health. 1993 Sep-Oct; 48(5):309-14. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1993.9936719" |
