Most people enjoy being in a comfortable environment. One hazard that could affect this comfort in a negative way is that of airborne contaminants. Many people are concerned not just about the discomfort associated with a foul smell within their homes, offices or vehicles, but also about how the odor impacts their health.

Odor are gases which emanate from a source into the air, where they are recognized by the nose. Odors, whether pleasant or unpleasant, are gases that people notice. “Heightened Awareness Odor” or “Psychological Odors” are terms used by some people to describe odors which people believe they smell, based on experiences, suggestions and past impressions. The fact that we do not smell an odor does not mean that the odor doesn’t exist.

Odor is most obvious when both temperature and relative humidity are high. Odor molecules are physically held by a surface of a material without actually reacting chemically with the material through a process called adsorption. The more porous a material, the more of an odor it adsorbs.