Toward a Transferable Methodology for Identifying and Characterizing Odor Nuisance Sources Using In Situ Measurements: A Case Study from Płock, Poland

Odor nuisance is a significant source of environmental complaints. Populations living in the vicinity of odor-emitting facilities may be exposed to a variety of chemical compounds that cause adverse olfactory sensations, thereby conflicting with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (UN SDGs). Odor nuisance is characterized by high temporal variability, largely depending on meteorological conditions. The present study comprised 29 measurement series conducted at 20 measurement points. The research involved the use of a MultiRAE Pro multi-gas detector, a Dräger X-pid® 9500 portable gas detector with a chromatography function and a Nasal Ranger® field olfactometer (odor concentration, cod determination). Meteorological measurements and observations were carried out simultaneously with odorimetric investigations. The results obtained during the measurement campaign were subjected to statistical analysis. These findings indicate that field olfactometry and portable gas chromatography for determining volatile organic compounds (VOC) are appropriate tools for the rapid verification of odor complaints reported by residents in urban and suburban areas. In contrast, the portable detector with gas chromatography functionality used during the measurement campaign proved unsuitable for air-quality testing due to excessively high detection and quantification thresholds.