title: A controlled short-term exposure study to investigate the odor differences among three different formulations of gasoline.
abstract: Control subjects (CON) and self-reported methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)-sensitive subjects (SRS) were evaluated to distinguish between the following gasoline blends: gasoline versus gasoline + MTBE (15% MTBE v/v); and gasoline versus gasoline + MTBE + reodorant. The study also investigated the ability of a reodorant to conceal the odor of MTBE in a gasoline mixture. In each of two separate sessions, seven men (four CON, three SRS) and seven women (four CON, three SRS) were asked, in a forced-choice format, to sniff 28 randomized bottle pairs to determine if the odors in each pair were the same or different. Chi-square analyses revealed that, with the exception of one male CON, subjects were unable to distinguish between gasoline and gasoline with MTBE or gasoline with MTBE and the reodorant. Thus, a reodorant is of limited value as an additive which alters the ability of an individual to detect MTBE in a blended gasoline. The results suggest that at the level used in the experiment, no mask would be required to blind a participant from the odor of MTBE if that level is used in a controlled human health effects study of the additive.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute of Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Opiekun
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kelly-McNeil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knasko
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lioy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fiedler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005742:Gasoline; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D012684:Sensory Thresholds
chemical_list: D005742:Gasoline