scope:

This standard provides the basis for odour annoyance assessment in the field by means of questionnaires. In each survey zone, one target person per household in a predetermined number of households varying according to the survey goal has to be covered. From the results it should be possible to identify annoyance and annoyance effects due to odour impact. The results can be used to

• quantify local odour (and noise) annoyance and interpret with regard to excessive odour annoyance,

• identify differences in the extent of annoyance between the survey zones and control zones,

• in case of missing immission data, determine the decrease of annoyance with increasing distance of the residential areas to the odour sources,

• to generate a dose-response relationship between annoyance and odour impact on the basis of immission load due to olfactory stimuli,

• in parallel with emission measurements and dispersion calculation, to determine the community reaction in order to verify annoyance forecasts,

• in the context of complaint management to obtain further information in order to prepare specific emission reduction measures,

• in the context of complaint management to obtain information on context and person related influence factors and use these as basis for a dialogue with the residents.

The presented procedures of odour annoyance assessment can be used to answer the following specific questions:

a) verification of complaints by the neighbourhood

b) verification of the necessity of emission reduction measures

c) verification of the effectiveness of emission reduction measures

d) weighting of the odour annoyance in comparison to annoyance caused by other simultaneously effective environmental stressors, particularly noise

Re. a: The necessity of conducting an annoyance survey results from the matrix of action shown in Table 1.

Re. b and c: The necessity and/or effectiveness of emission reduction measures can be underpinned with the aid of surveys. According to experience there is no simple cause and effect relationship between odour emission and odour impact on the one hand and odour annoyance on the other hand. Therefore, in many cases a survey is advisable before emission reduction measures are decided upon.

Re. d: In conurbations, environmental stressors from different sources (industry, municipal facilities, agriculture, etc.) and of various types (odour, noise, etc.) are often simultaneously effective. Therefore, a source and type specific weighting of the annoyance is of practical interest for evaluation and the planning of emission reduction measures [4].