The Food and Flavor Section of Arthur D. Little, Inc. has carried out a pilot survey of the problems of odor in enclosed space for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE). The study was conducted with individuals concerned with odor problems in enclosed space by questionnaire. Fourteen spaces were selected to represent different types and degrees of odor problems. These included residential, commercial, institutional and industrial spaces. The individuals surveyed included Arthur D. Little, Inc. staff members, the ASHRAE Odor Committee (T.C. 1.6), and practicing consulting engineers.

The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of odors in enclosed spaces and to attempt to determine where and what problems might exist. This required the definition of meaningful groupings for types of space, types of odor sources, and the odor contribution of each source in each space.