Pierre River Mine Project

HEALTH AENV SIRS 79 – 89
minimum odour threshold of the individual constituent is likely to be a
conservative estimate for the chemical group.
Section 14.1
The possibility that some individuals might detect nuisance odours from a few of
the COPCs cannot be entirely dismissed. The following factors need to be
considered:
• A large majority of the COPCs that exceeded their respective minimum
odour thresholds have very low odour thresholds and distinctive odours,
making them very recognizable.
• The presence of individuals possessing a “keen” sense of smell is possible.
Women and children often have a remarkable sense of smell and can detect
and distinguish odours at low levels.
• Individual variables, such as breathing patterns, state of physical health, past
experiences and state of awareness, can have a considerable bearing on the
detection of odours.
Despite this, the exceedances of the minimum and mean odour thresholds (in the
case of the aliphatic aldehyde group at Cabin K) must be viewed in light of the
conservative assumptions incorporated in the assessment and with full
consideration of the complexity of the sense of smell which is influenced by
individual, environmental, and substance-based factors. In addition, potential
odours associated with these COPCs are likely to be sporadic, rather than
continuous.
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 14-11
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