Olf (unit)
Encyclopedia
The Olf is a unit used to measure the strength of a pollution source. It was introduced by Danish
professor P. Ole Fanger
; the name "Olf" is derived from the Latin
word olfactus, meaning "smelled".
One Olf is the sensory pollution strength from a standard person defined as an average adult working in an office or similar non–industrial workplace, sedentary and in thermal comfort, with a hygienic standard equivalent of 0.7 baths
per day and whose skin has a total area of 1.8 square metres. It was defined to quantify the strength of pollution sources which can be perceived by humans.
The perceived air quality is measured in Decipol
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
professor P. Ole Fanger
P. Ole Fanger
Povl Ole Fanger was an expert in the field of the health effects of indoor environments. He was a University Professor at Syracuse University when he died at the age of 72 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was also a senior professor at the International Centre for Indoor Environment and...
; the name "Olf" is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word olfactus, meaning "smelled".
One Olf is the sensory pollution strength from a standard person defined as an average adult working in an office or similar non–industrial workplace, sedentary and in thermal comfort, with a hygienic standard equivalent of 0.7 baths
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
per day and whose skin has a total area of 1.8 square metres. It was defined to quantify the strength of pollution sources which can be perceived by humans.
The perceived air quality is measured in Decipol
Decipol
The Decipol is a unit used to measure the perceived air quality. It was introduced by Danish professor P. Ole Fanger;One decipol is the perceived air quality in a space with a sensory load of one olf ventilated by 10 L/s. It was developed to quantify how the strength of indoor pollution sources...
.
Examples of typical scent emissions
| Person/object | Scent emission |
|---|---|
| Sitting person | 1 olf |
| Heavy smoker | 25 olf |
| Athlete | 30 olf |
| Marble | 0.01 olf/m² |
| Linoleum | 0.2 olf/m² |
| Synthetic fibre | 0.4 olf/m² |
| Rubber gasket | 0.6 olf/m² |