Impaired odor perception in tank cleaners.
研究了20名油罐清洁工接触石油产品后的嗅觉感知，发现他们对弱气味刺激的感知能力下降，但对强气味刺激感知正常，类似听觉中的“响度重振”现象。
The olfactory perception of 20 men (tank cleaners) exposed to petroleum products (while cleaning oil tanks) was examined. Office workers and watchmen were used as referents (N = 20 + 20). They were matched with regard to sex, age, and smoking habits. Odor detection thresholds and the perceived odor intensity of four odorous stimuli, pyridine, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), n-butanol, and heating oil vapor (gas phase of heating oil heated to +40 degrees C), were determined. The results suggested that the tank cleaners had higher absolute odor thresholds for n-butanol and oil vapor than the referents. The psychophysical function of the tank cleaners and referents differed for all the tested substances in respect to odor intensity. The tank cleaners displayed an odor deficit analogous to the hearing loss known as "loudness recruitment," ie, normal perception of strong stimuli but impaired perception of weak stimuli. This odor deficit was therefore named "odor intensity recruitment" and seems, in tank cleaners, to be associated with occupational exposure to oil vapor.