Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 4 P179-P186, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Workplace, age, and sex as mediators of olfactory function: data from the National Geographic Smell Survey

J Corwin, M Loury and AN Gilbert
New York VA Medical Center, USA.

Certain medications and environmental agents are known to adversely affect chemosensation. We report data from 712,000 respondents aged 20 to 79 to the National Geographic Smell Survey that suggest that exposure to the factory workplace adversely affects the sense of smell, and that these effects interact with age. Men and women with histories of factory work reported poorer senses of smell relative to other workers. They also demonstrated objective evidence of greater impairment in odor detection. These effects were greater for men. Factory workers of all ages more frequently reported olfactory loss secondary to chemical exposure and head injury than did workers in other environments. The highest relative risk of olfactory problems secondary to head injury was in the oldest women factory workers. Thus, olfaction may behave as other senses do: Age, sex, and exposure to noxious events or agents interact to produce sensory deficits.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Finkel, N. L. Pedersen, and M. Larsson Olfactory Functioning and Cognitive Abilities: A Twin Study J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2001; 56(4): P226 - 233. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Larsson, D. Finkel, and N. L. Pedersen Odor Identification: Influences of Age, Gender, Cognition, and Personality J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2000; 55(5): 304P - 310. [Abstract] [Full Text]