Name: Christina S Holler
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
Why can a 2-3 minute exposure to hydrogen sulfide wipe out your
sense of smell? What if any, part of the olfactory system is being
affected?
Replies:
Olfactory receptors, like virtually all nervous system receptors,
can become habituated to any strong stimulus and stop responding. Gasoline
will also deaden the sense of smell temporarily. I'd guess, though I'm not
certain, that these chemicals may affect several different types of
olfactory receptors, thus wiping out much of your sense of smell. This
all occurs at the receptor level, I believe.
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