Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution
Odor pollution presents a multi-scale challenge to global environmental governance, with significant gaps in measurement reliability, temporal mismatches between emission patterns and regulatory standards, and acknowledgment of the undervaluation of its associated health risks. Analytical data revea...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Environment International |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003472 |
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| author | Xinyuan Xu Haixin Gu Zihao Zhang Yantong Liu Lingling Zhang Junfeng Wang Mindong Chen Yu Huang Junji Cao Shun-cheng Lee Haiwei Li Xinlei Ge |
| author_facet | Xinyuan Xu Haixin Gu Zihao Zhang Yantong Liu Lingling Zhang Junfeng Wang Mindong Chen Yu Huang Junji Cao Shun-cheng Lee Haiwei Li Xinlei Ge |
| author_sort | Xinyuan Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Odor pollution presents a multi-scale challenge to global environmental governance, with significant gaps in measurement reliability, temporal mismatches between emission patterns and regulatory standards, and acknowledgment of the undervaluation of its associated health risks. Analytical data reveal that odor concentrations vary over three to four orders of magnitude across different emission sources. These discrepancies are exacerbated by inconsistencies in measurement protocols, which hinder the establishment of standardized regulatory benchmarks. At present, there are inherent uncertainties in human olfactory thresholds and variability in sensor responses. To address this, recent field studies in hybrid monitoring methodologies, integrating human sensory evaluation with instrumental analysis, have improved predictive accuracy by 30–50 %. Notably, municipal waste disposal facilities are identified as primary contributors to odor emissions, often exhibiting pronounced diurnal peaks. Monitoring data show that 65–80 % of landfills exceed permissible odor thresholds, correlating with odor complaints representing ∼30 % of urban environmental grievances. Health risk assessments further indicate that 15–25 % of industrial odor sources emit carcinogenic compounds exceeding the acceptable risk threshold (e.g., a lifetime cancer risk of 1 × 10−6), equating to at least one case per million exposed individuals. Despite this, fewer than 10 % of regulatory frameworks explicitly prioritize odor-related carcinogens, underscoring a critical disconnect between risk quantification and policy implementation. To address these gaps, this work advocates for the development of high-sensitivity sensor networks for real-time detection of trace-level odorants, establishment of health-based exposure limits for prioritized carcinogenic odorants, and implementation of predictive models to quantify the synergistic effects of odorant mixtures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-27326fdb76fe4ae3bd5f00c21cc09635 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj-art-27326fdb76fe4ae3bd5f00c21cc096352025-08-20T03:30:49ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202025-07-0120110959610.1016/j.envint.2025.109596Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollutionXinyuan Xu0Haixin Gu1Zihao Zhang2Yantong Liu3Lingling Zhang4Junfeng Wang5Mindong Chen6Yu Huang7Junji Cao8Shun-cheng Lee9Haiwei Li10Xinlei Ge11Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR ChinaJoint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR ChinaJoint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR ChinaDepartment of Environmental Engineering of Oulu School, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211167, PR ChinaJiangsu Academy of Environmental Industry and Technology Corp. Nanjing 210019, PR ChinaJoint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR ChinaJoint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG) and Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, PR ChinaInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR ChinaSustainable Energy and Environment Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511453, PR ChinaJoint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China.Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China; School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, PR China.Odor pollution presents a multi-scale challenge to global environmental governance, with significant gaps in measurement reliability, temporal mismatches between emission patterns and regulatory standards, and acknowledgment of the undervaluation of its associated health risks. Analytical data reveal that odor concentrations vary over three to four orders of magnitude across different emission sources. These discrepancies are exacerbated by inconsistencies in measurement protocols, which hinder the establishment of standardized regulatory benchmarks. At present, there are inherent uncertainties in human olfactory thresholds and variability in sensor responses. To address this, recent field studies in hybrid monitoring methodologies, integrating human sensory evaluation with instrumental analysis, have improved predictive accuracy by 30–50 %. Notably, municipal waste disposal facilities are identified as primary contributors to odor emissions, often exhibiting pronounced diurnal peaks. Monitoring data show that 65–80 % of landfills exceed permissible odor thresholds, correlating with odor complaints representing ∼30 % of urban environmental grievances. Health risk assessments further indicate that 15–25 % of industrial odor sources emit carcinogenic compounds exceeding the acceptable risk threshold (e.g., a lifetime cancer risk of 1 × 10−6), equating to at least one case per million exposed individuals. Despite this, fewer than 10 % of regulatory frameworks explicitly prioritize odor-related carcinogens, underscoring a critical disconnect between risk quantification and policy implementation. To address these gaps, this work advocates for the development of high-sensitivity sensor networks for real-time detection of trace-level odorants, establishment of health-based exposure limits for prioritized carcinogenic odorants, and implementation of predictive models to quantify the synergistic effects of odorant mixtures.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003472Odor pollutionEmission profilesChemical complexityMeasurementsHealth risk assessment |
| spellingShingle | Xinyuan Xu Haixin Gu Zihao Zhang Yantong Liu Lingling Zhang Junfeng Wang Mindong Chen Yu Huang Junji Cao Shun-cheng Lee Haiwei Li Xinlei Ge Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution Environment International Odor pollution Emission profiles Chemical complexity Measurements Health risk assessment |
| title | Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| title_full | Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| title_fullStr | Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| title_short | Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| title_sort | advancements in understanding emission characteristics data driven olfactory chemical measurements and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution |
| topic | Odor pollution Emission profiles Chemical complexity Measurements Health risk assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003472 |
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