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Indoor and Built Environment
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The Correlation and Prediction of VOC Thresholds for Nasal Pungency, Eye Irritation and Odour in Humans

Michael H. Abraham

Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK

Joëlle M.R. Gola

Department of Chemistry, University College London, UK

J. Enrique Cometto-Muñiz

Department of Surgery (Otolaryngology), Chemosensory Perception Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif., USA

William S. Cain

Department of Surgery (Otolaryngology), Chemosensory Perception Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif., USA

A general equation set up for the study of transport prop erties has been applied to volatile organic compound (VOC) nasal pungency and eye irritation thresholds, as log (1/NPT) and log (1/EIT). The equation accounts for 93- 95% of the total effect, thus suggesting that the main step is transport of the VOC from the gas phase to a receptor phase. In the case of odour thresholds the gen eral equation accounts for only 77% of the total effect. A modified equation incorporates a factor for aliphatic aldehydes and carboxylic acids, and a general size effect that depends on the VOC maximum length. The size effect is important in that it leads to a cut-off effect that greatly reduces the potency of higher homologues. The various equations can all be used to predict chemosen sory thresholds for thousands of VOCs.

Key Words: Volatile organic compounds • Chemosensory thresholds • Cut-off • Potency

Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 10, No. 3-4, 252-257 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/1420326X0101000320
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