Olf and decipol: New units for perceived air quality

In many offices, schools, dwellings and other non-industrial buildings the air is often perceived as annoying, unpleasant, stale, and stuffy. In many cases it has not been possible to identify the causes of these complaints by chemical analysis of the air. Therefore, two new units, the olf and the decipol, have been introduced to quantify how air is perceived by human beings. Olf is a unit which quantifies the source strength of air pollution; decipol is a unit quantifying perceived air pollution. Humans perceive the air by their olfactory and chemical sense, being sensitive to odorants and irritants in the air.