Air is a vital and still poorly regulated resource. The first criterion of the quality of the air objectified by all citizens remains its “smell”.

A lasting economic activity, so that it remains such, must necessarily respect the environment.

The olfactory problems can be assessed according to different criteria:

• The frequency of the odorant emission during a day, a week, a year.
• The duration of the issue and its persistence.
• The intensity of the odor
• The olfactory shade that measures the aggressive appearance of the smell

The olfactory problems are characterized first of all by a nuisance

The emission of unpleasant odors represents one of the environmental concerns on which the importance is growing as much from the industrialists who try to manage this harmfulness as from the population that claims respect for their environmental health.

The olfactory problems are ranked second as a reason for complaints after the noise.

This importance given by olfactory pollution is linked to the fact that it is associated, often wrongly, with smell and toxicity. However, even though odor pollutions often do not lead to any direct risk, the foul-smelling emissions they generate can have a negative psychological impact when they are judged to be excessive. This “stress” can in some cases have serious consequences on people’s health.

Managing and controlling foul smelling odours is necessary to:

• Protect the nature and its environment
• Eliminate the risks of causing discomfort and stress for the citizens
• Improve the work conditions of the workers
• Regain the trust of the local authorities
• Not altering the quality image of the industry and of the collectivity