Abstract
The change in the perception of polluted air was studied during the first 15 min of exposure in climate chambers. Subjects, 16 female and 16 male, ages 18–30 y, served as air quality judges during 42 exposures. They were exposed to different concentrations of human bioeffluents (500–4000 μL/L CO 2), tobacco smoke (0.25–2.5 μL/L CO), and emissions from building materials (−). The subjects voted every 2 min on scales for odor intensity and acceptability of the air quality, while they were exposed to constant levels of the air pollution. Perception of bioeffluents reached a low level independent of concentration after a dew minutes. Adaptation to tobacco smoke caused acceptability to increase, but votes still depended on concentration. Ventilation for comfort may be reduced considerably if a few minutes of discomfort are acceptable or if the occupants are exposed to a gradually increased pollution level during the first 10 min or more of their stay in a space.
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