A procedure for assessment of the sensory acuity of individuals in terms of odour threshold and variability is defined within the CEN standard for olfactometry. This procedure is commonly used to define the acuity of individuals involved in the regulation and assessment of odours (e.g. Consultants and environmental Health Officers).

Acuity is defined in terms of the threshold and standard deviation of an individual over a number of presentations. By assessing the sensory acuity in this way, it is possible to demonstrate whether the sense of smell of the officer is within the normal expected range (to support the validity of any judgments which are made in the day to day regulation of odorous facilities), or whether the individual is hypo or hyper sensitive.


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