Table of contents:
- How do humans smell?
- What are the effects of smelling strong odors for health?
- 1. Smells of paint
- 2. The smell of markers and glue
- The health effects of smelling depend on the sensitivity of a person's sense of smell
Smelling strong odors, such as the smell of jengkol or petai, not only makes the mood bad. It turns out that the effect can also be felt immediately by the body. Not infrequently, smells rancid smells can trigger migraines to recur. What else can the effect of smelling a strong odor affect health?
How do humans smell?
Initially, odors are caused by certain chemical molecules passing through your nose. These odor molecules are connected to a network called the epithelium, which contains olfactory receptor cells that lock odor molecules.
In your nose, these molecules will dissolve in mucus and carried up to the smell nerves that are at the top of the nose. The smell nerves accept these molecules as odor stimuli. These stimuli are then transmitted to the brain to determine what you smell like.
What are the effects of smelling strong odors for health?
The effect of smelling strong odors on health depends on the owner of the nose itself. Some may experience troublesome side effects after smelling the other person's body odor, while others may feel nothing even though they both smell. In most cases, smelling strong odors can cause health problems. But generally, the effect of inhaling this smell depends on several factors. Among others:
- Types of chemicals that are inhaled
- How concentrated are the odor-causing chemicals
- How long is the exposure to the smell is inhaled
- It depends on someone's olfactory sensitivity
Some chemicals with strong odors can irritate the eyes, nose, throat or lungs. Sometimes, too, a strong chemical smell can cause some people to feel a burning sensation, coughing up wheezing, and other breathing problems. If the smell lasts a long time, smell the strong smell can affect mood, anxiety, to stress. Linger of smells that sting the nose can also cause severe headaches, dizziness, and nausea.
Here are some examples of the effects of the pungent odor that is often inhaled:
1. Smells of paint
The first danger of inhaling the smell of paint is respiratory distress. The paint smell was strong enough by the VOC. VOCs are almost always present in paint materials so that the paint dries more easily when applied to the walls. When paint dries, VOCs evaporate into the air and if inhaled will make breathing difficult. This condition will get worse if the smell of paint is inhaled by people who have respiratory problems.
2. The smell of markers and glue
The marker contains a smelly chemical called xylene. If the xylene content in the marker gets into the lungs, it can cause serious injury to the lungs or even death. If xylene is inhaled in small amounts, you may experience coughing, choking, shortness of breath, blue skin color, and a faster heart rate. Also keep in mind that these symptoms can occur immediately or as long as 24 hours after you smell the marker.
The health effects of smelling depend on the sensitivity of a person's sense of smell
Smelling odors is not a yardstick for knowing health risks. In some cases, smell can be used to identify a problem that needs fixing. For example, health problems (from body odor), overcoming the dangers of waste, even gas leaks at home.
Also, people's ability to smell certain smells will differ. This is based on how sensitive the person's sense of smell is. Examples of factors that can affect a person's level of olfactory sensitivity include age, gender, and whether or not you smoke.