The odours in the ambient air: analysis of the relationship with the state of health and quality of life in adults residing in the town with food industries

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.