Introduction. The article is devoted to studying atmospheric air pollution by industrial odours on the health, quality of life, and the occurrence of various somatic and emotional disorders in the population of neighboring residential areas. According to most abroad studies, a literature review showed different conditions mediated by “annoyance” of smell, a “predictor” of deviations in health status. Material and methods. The data for this study were obtained as a result of the survey of residents of the city with a population of about 50 thousand residents living at different distances from odour sources: coffee factory, bone meal factory, a sugar factory, and solid waste landfill. The distances from the primary sources ranged from 1500 m to > 5 km. Results. The analysis showed that odour pollution is one of the priority factors affecting residents’ health and quality of life. The frequency and intensity of specific odours in the atmospheric air, according to the results of the survey, decrease as respondents’ place of residence is removed from sources (from 1500 m to > 5 km), as well as the degree of their “annoyance” with odours (from 87.5% to 51.2%), remaining at a very high level at the farthest distances (over 5 km). Conclusion. Besides to the area of residence and, accordingly, the level of atmospheric air pollution by odours, extent of this “annoyance” can be influenced by concern of residents about possible impact of air pollution, particularly by odours, on health. It has been established that there is a certain category of residents (making up about one-third of the population) who tend to associate their health problems with the state of the environment and, mainly, with the presence of industrial odours. This group of respondents is characterized by a lower tolerance to odours and, at the same time, a higher frequency of upper respiratory tract diseases, allergies, cardiovascular, and some other diseases.

The paper presents an overview of the main methodological approaches in experimental standardization of odorants (or mixtures of odorants) in the ambient air according to «obsessive» odor inadmissibility as a limiting criterion for justification of Maximum allowable concentration (MAC maximum one time dose) . It is shown that the developed procedure of establishing a permissible content of those substances is based on estimating the relationship «concentration – odor sensation probability of different intensity» (olfactory-odorimetry), using a common scoring of smell intensity and modern olfactometry equipment. Justified normative values are harmonized with international criteria for air quality including epidemiological studies-based levels established for odors with various qualitative characteristics. Their implementation will ensure the protection of the population from «obsessive» odor.

Introduction. The aim of the study was to analyze the quantitative relationship between the perceived intensity of the odours and its “offensiveness” (“annoyance potential”) in experimental organoleptic studies using the example of various perfumery aromatic compositions. Materials and methods. Experimental studies were carried out on the example of 22 perfume compositions (aromatic fragrances) used in the production of perfumery and cosmetic products. In total, 440 odorimetric measurements were carried out as part of the experiment. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using the software Statistica for windows “StatSoft’ v. 7.0. Results. The linear association was revealed (R = 0.844; p = 0.0000008) between the perceived intensity of the aromatic compositions’ odour and its offensiveness (“annoyance potential”), defined as the percentage of positive responses; and the moderate linear association (R = 0.472; p=0.026) between the intensity of the odour and the sense of annoyance caused thereby, expressed in points. At the same time, a subjective assessment of the odour as annoying increases the likelihood of a higher assessment of its intensity. Limitation. The limitations of this study are associated with a relatively small number of participants, as well as the use of a relatively new method for recording the effects of odour stimuli, which requires additional testing. Conclusion. The intensity of the perceived odour was established to be an indicator that reflects not only its strength (concentration), but also a subjective attitude to it, reliably reflecting the degree of annoyance (feeling of “offensiveness”) by the odour present in the air, and, accordingly, can be taken as a base for establishing air quality criteria by odour in the environment. Keywords: odour intensity; “offensiveness” of the odour; “annoyance potential”; organoleptic studies; odorimetry; aromatic compositions Compliance with ethical standards. The consent of the local ethics committee of the Centre for Strategic Planning of FMBA of Russia was obtained for the conduct of the research (protocol No. 3 dated August 17, 2020). Patient consent. Each participant of the study (or his/her legal representative) gave informed voluntary written consent to participate in the study and publish personal medical information in an impersonal form in the journal "Gigiena i Sanitariya (Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal)".

Environmental quality management requires the compliance with a number of conditions, such as the use of criteria for the reliable assessment of the health effects of harmful environmental factors (eg., hygienic standards, risk indices) and the optimization of factors of the laboratory control, including chemicals. The A.N. Sysin Research Institute of Human Ecology and Environmental Health (now part of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks”) of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has corrected domestic hygienic standards of chemicals in the water of water bodies in accordance with international recommendations, and standards of substances in ambient air - according to time characteristics and MPC values. Unified standards in water for substances belonging to the same structural class and not differing in the mechanism of action are justified, hygienic standards for a mixture of substances in atmospheric air have been established according to the criterion “obsession of the smell”. The developing methods of predicting the toxicity of substances make it possible to improve the planning of experiments in selecting doses and indices of the state of the organism. On more than 50 territories of the Russian Federation, a health risk assessment under the influence of chemical environmental factors was implemented. At the same time, an adequate assessment and control of environmental pollution are hindered by a number of circumstances, first of all, the lack of an optimal monitoring system and imperfection of its organization. Studies have shown the number of control indices from a few units to several tens, while hundreds of components that are not provided with regulations are identified. This is due to the lack of modern equipment and analytical methods. The solution to the problem lies in the systematic application of the methodology for selecting priority indices for monitoring. At the same time, an attempt to replace the assessment of the hazard of substances’ harmful effects on the body using generalized indices, for example, a unified “interagency index”, is untenable. The developed recommendations are aimed at improving the organization and methodology of environmental quality management.