Expressions to relate population responses to odor concentration

Expressions were developed to relate the responses of the population to odor concentrations ranging from sub- to supra-threshold levels. Responses were expressed in terms of probability of detection, probability of discrimination and degree of annoyance. The proposed expressions each have two calibration parameters that are simply estimated and open to physical interpretation; i.e., a threshold parameter that reflects odor strength and a persistence parameter that reflects the variability of individuals within a population to register their responses to an odor over a range of concentrations. The ability of the expressions to accurately describe dose–response trends was confirmed by applying them to data collected for six pure chemical compounds in air. Dispersion modeling can be used in conjunction with the dose–response relationships to estimate contours of probability of response and degree of annoyance throughout the surrounding community which can serve as the basis for the development of odor impact parameters.