automotive filtration insight
What’s in the air?
GEOSMIN
Have you ever wondered why the air smells so sweet when a long, dry period is broken by a refreshing shower?
The answer lies in a mixture of chemicals released when rain hits dry earth.
The smell we all know is called ‘petrichor’, a word formed from the Greek ‘petros’, stone, and ‘ichor’, the fluid believed in ancient mythology to flow through the veins of gods.
Petrichor is, in turn, caused by a molecule known as ‘geosmin’, whose name is a compound of the Greek words for ‘earth’ and ‘smell’.
Non-harmful
to human health
When the weather has been dry for long periods, the bacteria decompose more slowly. When moisture and rain return, the bacteria begin to decompose at their usual rate again, which causes the strong smell of petrichor.
Geosmin has been proved not to be harmful to human health.
However, in high concentrations, the petrichor smell can cause unpleasant symptoms like nausea or headaches. It is interesting to note that the human nose is incredibly sensitive to geosmin, capable of detecting it at concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion. To put that in perspective, sharks can smell blood at concentrations of one part per million.
200,000 times
Added ingredients:
Ozone and plant oils
Alongside petrichor, the name given to the smell produced by geosmin, the earthy odor associated with fresh rainfall on dry ground also includes ozone and certain plant oils. These oils are released by the rain and absorbed into the soil around the plants, intensifying the earthy fragrance. When rain hits dry earth, geosmin is released in the form of aerosols that can travel vast distances. This is why we are sometimes able to smell rain before it falls, and is the source of the common expression:
The drier and more porous the soil, the more intense the smell of petrichor.
The case for effective filtration
From pollens that cause sneezing to harmful pollutants such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, the air we breathe contains dozens of chemicals and compounds, dusts and particulate matter.
The more we understand about the composition of the air, the stronger the case becomes for the use of high-quality filters to protect human health and to make all our lives more enjoyable, at home, at work, and while driving, which makes the use of high-performance air filters, such as micronAir, even more important.
