Workplace, Age, and Sex as Mediators of Olfactory Function: Data from the National Geographic Smell Survey

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 in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 1995-07, Vol.50B (4), p.P179-P186
Main Authors: Corwin, June, Loury, Mark, Gilbert, Avery N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aging & longevity
Aging - physiology
Canada - epidemiology
Craniocerebral Trauma - complications
Environmental Exposure
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Diseases - etiology
Occupational Diseases - physiopathology
Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology
Olfaction Disorders - etiology
Olfaction Disorders - physiopathology
Polls & surveys
Sex Characteristics
Sex Distribution
Sexes
Smell
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States - epidemiology
Work environment
Workplace
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/50B.4.P179