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Review
. 2018 Sep 4:13:28.
doi: 10.1186/s12995-018-0209-6. eCollection 2018.

Olfactory dysfunction revisited: a reappraisal of work-related olfactory dysfunction caused by chemicals

Sabine Werner  1 , Eberhard Nies  1
Affiliations
Review

Olfactory dysfunction revisited: a reappraisal of work-related olfactory dysfunction caused by chemicals

Sabine Werner et al. J Occup Med Toxicol. .

Abstract

Occupational exposure to numerous individual chemicals has been associated with olfactory dysfunction, mainly in individual case descriptions. Comprehensive epidemiological investigations into the olfactotoxic effect of working substances show that the human sense of smell may be impaired by exposure to metal compounds involving cadmium, chromium and nickel, and to formaldehyde. This conclusion is supported by the results of animal experiments. The level of evidence for a relationship between olfactory dysfunction and workplace exposure to other substances is relatively weak.

Keywords: Chemically induced anosmia; Formaldehyde; Metals; Occupational exposure; Olfaction disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Not applicable.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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