Measurements of the Effects of Air Quality on Sensory Perception

Occupants in indoor non-industrial environments decide whether the indoor air quality is acceptable or not. This paper describes the method by which the assessments of acceptability of air quality can be used to measure short-term sensory effects on humans caused by indoor exposures. Advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed in the light of a need for future research in order to fully understand how many variables (environmental, organismic, physiological and psychological) influence the ratings of acceptability of air quality and to learn how the results obtained in laboratory experiments can be used to predict responses in natural environments.