Odor control in urban areas originated from multiple focuses. Identification of potentially toxic compounds

Abstract

The application of olfactometric methods is the usual methodology employed nowadays to determine odor annoyance in urban areas and to measure odor emission rates in stationary focuses. The use of an odor reference substance (a chemical compound which is used as reference) for the odor assessment, especially when several odorous focuses could impact simultaneously in a particular point, is arguably. In addition to that, the sensorial methods used do not allow the discrimination of the potentially toxic substances responsible of the odor episodes, given that these methods do not identify the concrete chemical compounds that cause the odor.