Sense of Smell

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:49:36 GMT

Try this link: forums.usms.org/.../t-6818.html When I googled "anosmia + chlorine" I found this: journals.cambridge.org/.../displayAbstract;jsessionid=F1C7AA11D50CAC5511B77F3DB20C3A3D.tomcat1 Quote: Chlorine gas is known to be a potent irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs with severe exposure resulting in pulmonary oedema and even death. There have been no case reports, however, of chlorine inducing anosmia. We present such a case, along with a review of the literature on the toxicology of chlorine and its effect on the nose. and there's this article: www.robertabelllaw.com/.../Differential_Diagnosis_Evidence___Advocate_Article.pdf Apparently there is some relation between anosmia and chlorine but this relation is rather obscure. Do notice that the guy from the second article inhaled A LOT of chlorine so his case of intoxication is a bit different than ours. There was very little info concerning this matter on the web, so either this isn't a common situation or the relation is not yet proven (which is a good sign either way)

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:50:20 GMT

I cannot smell most odors, my wife smells something then says can you smell that. It can be a wonderfull smell or something really bad, I just do not smell it good or bad. Some people just lose their sense of smell.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:52:46 GMT

Years ago, I could smell when an intoxicated coach walked by the facility air intake vents maybe 50m away. When I am driving my car, windows rolled up, I can smell/get a headache if the occupants of the car in front of me are smoking (tobacco or other). Yet I did not have a particularly sensitive palate - I could tell if a wine tasted like chewing a pencil (cabernet) or was fruity (sangria). Maybe if I had savored my beverages rather than slamming them I would be more discerning. Are there any bacon-flavored wines? I would think that would be popular in my circle of friends.

RE: Sense of Smell

__steve__ — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:08:22 GMT

I think chronic exposure to the fumes and vapors found in a pool may indeed dull ones edge of scent. *I would also guess it's from inflammation, is temporary, but the irritation can decrease ones resistance to infection. *Just my over-the-counter medically ignorant opinion

RE: Sense of Smell

dadis — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:18:15 GMT

enological I had to look that one up. These forums can be entertaining as well as educational. Drivel I knew that one. I didn't join forum until 2008, so you can't pin that one on me. Though I feel like I missed out.... I know.......... That stinks.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:31:53 GMT

Sorry your thread wandered from the original question into enological drivel, but Ihave lost ability to smell lavender flowers, most of the herbs and spices in our kitchen, and those previously hideous ads for men's colognes folded into magazines. My otolaryngologist thinks it's due to exposure to chlorine. (Well, the pool I use uses bromine, but that's close enough.)

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:08:22 GMT

Originally posted by Guvnah I'm the designated cat litter changer... LOL! Me too! :p

RE: Sense of Smell

ande — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 01:08:16 GMT

I swimming does affect our sense of smell. I think chlorine deadens our smelling organs. I'm not a very sensitive smeller. I believe my wife, a non swimmer, has a much better sense of smell than I do. I think the ability to detect subtle fragrances in wines falls in the "Wine Snob" category. Like that guy in the movie "Sideways" You'll see the language on the bottle or on the web like www.badgermtnvineyard.com/bmvwine.htm I wonder if they can really smell it or did they just read it somewhere? I think those kind of descriptions help vinters sell their wines and justify their prices. I am not a good aroma detector but I do appreciate a nice cabernet or Pinot. by the way I loved the dialog from this scene from "Sideways" Memorable Quotes from Sideways (2004) Miles Raymond: What about you? Maya: What about me? Miles Raymond: I don't know. Why are you into wine? Maya: Oh I... I think I... I originally got in to wine through my ex-husband. Miles Raymond: Ah. Maya: You know, he had this big, sort of show-off cellar, you know. Miles Raymond: Right. Maya: But then I discovered that I had a really sharp palate. Miles Raymond: Uh-huh. Maya: And the more I drank, the more I liked what it made me think about. Miles Raymond: Like what? Maya: Like what a fraud he was. Maya: No, I- I like to think about the life of wine. Miles Raymond: Yeah. Maya: How it's a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks, like your '61. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline. Miles Raymond: Hmm. you can read more at: www.imdb.com/.../quotes ande Originally posted by Glenn Does swimming effect your sense of smell? My wife and I recently had a lovely dinner with a person very knowledgable about wines. We are both wine lovers and appreciated his wonderful "wine lesson". However, when he got into the description of the wines in terms of berrys and oak and leather etc I had to stop him and say that I can sometimes detect a raisin taste or maybe even a blackberry taste but I have never been able to get any of those other subtle tastes that the wine experts use to describe wines. So he asked me if I had sinus problems or something else that might effect my sense of smell. Well, the only thing I could think of was chlorine. Does anyone have any thoughts or information on wether 30 plus years of swimming and breathing that wonderful chlorine smell could have ruined or at least altered my sense of smell? If so I may go to exclusively drinking 2 Buck Chuck!!! Glenn:)

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 11:41:08 GMT

Based on my experience, I would say not. In my college swimming days, I recorded personal highs in terms of yardage swum and time spent in the water. I was also one of the few folks in my group that could go to a kegger, taste a cup of mystery beer, and correctly ID the brand of beer. (In the early 80s, when domestic beer was even more dumbed-down and bland than it is today.) Of course, it also might have been that I consumed less beer in general, and was more likely to still have use of my taste buds when I sampled the suds. Please note your inability to detect aromas of extinct tropical vegitation, the show room of a furniture store, or that oh so special "new car smell" in a bottle of wine (made from grapes grown in Saint Genevieve, MO) may have more to do with your so-called "uneducated palate" such that you don't note those intricacies. Some call this a deficiency; others call it evidence of having a life. Does anyone remember the Sinbad movie "Houseguest"? The scene with the oh-so-educated wine expert who rattled off his list of things he wants in a wine, then goes through a full 60 second ritual of sampling it, up to an including the part where he gargles with it. Sinbad's take was that he sounded like he was with a woman, and he guessed that some people drank wine, while others dated. Matt

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 08:43:20 GMT

Glenn, I have googled your query and have not been able to find any scientific research or articles on point. I would not let an inability to perceive certain tones or notes in the scent of a wine indicate anything. I enjoy good wine, I breath it in and perceive it through my olfactory senses . . . but that doesn't mean I agree with or can detect some of the notes that others may. I can also tell when I step in dog poo. So I'd say that my olfactory senses remain in tact despite frequent contact with cholorinated water. But that is, of course, merely anecdotal . . . and probably all you will find in response. Your mileage may vary. carl

RE: Sense of Smell

Glenn — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 01:54:38 GMT

Thanks all for your responses. In no way does the fact that I have trouble discerning the subtle tastes in wine inhibit my enjoyment. In fact I suppose it might even be a plus since I can enjoy a bottle of 2 Buck Chuck as well as that $40 bottle we had last night - which was good, but not $38 better than the Trader Joe's model. One thing that does not change however, was that my workout this morning was not quite as good as usual and that may have something to do with the 3 bottles the four of us enjoyed last night!!! Glenn;)

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 16:01:48 GMT

Kataba - the winoes choice 90cents a bottle, when I was a cop. Drink it before you go to bed, next morning a glass of water and you would be drunk again. You did not have to smell it, it paralized all senses.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:41:31 GMT

I have often thought that swimming has affected my sense of smell and the cause of my low threshold to heat. When I was very young (age 8-10), my physician made me wear nose clips because my sinuses were so bad from swimming. There is a recent thread on this issue. I am a wine lover myself and I will not be retiring to Florida or Arizona, but I will be somewhere in Sonoma County when I retire. While I can't necessarily smell all of the different fruits and "trees" in the wine, I certainly can taste it and I don't let it diminish my love of wine. On the bright side, when there is a "bad" smell in the air - I don't have nearly the reaction my husband does who can smell anything from a mile away. Geek, you don't know what you are missing.

RE: Sense of Smell

A.K. — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 11:03:36 GMT

Originally posted by Glenn Ummmmm, could someone get back to the original question? Does chlorine effect your sense of smell? Thank you. Glenn:) I think the point is from all the posts is -- yes it may, However whatever you may be digesting we all have personal favorites and flavors we like. If somebody likes to discern the various flavor and aromas to be able to say they caught that hint of butter/oak flavor so be it - (I'm partial to the hint of chlorine bringing out the full force of the wine). Be it a good pour of half and Half or an aged red blend.... well the Half and Half would better suit swimming as this would enhance your carbo loading as opposed to wine. Bottoms Up!

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 10:58:47 GMT

Ummm. Just go watch Sideways again and have another glass of Merlot.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 10:33:04 GMT

Geek: Belgian beers: Grip lightly with two fingers and thumb, extend pinky. Ring fingers is bored. Talk with other silly belgain beer drinkers about the fruit and herbs in the beer. Wonder outloud who thought this stuff up. American common beers: Grip with fist, drink as quickly as possible, avoiding taste analysis as much as possible (not much to avoid). Artisnal ales, porters, stouts: Firm grip using all fingers, no stinkin' pinky extended, enjoy the taste. Good wine: Grab the stem of the glass firmly with fingers, thumbs. Who cares about the pinky. Not so good wine: Life's too short. from the left coast

RE: Sense of Smell

aquageek — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:53:48 GMT

Originally posted by MichiganHusker Geek, you don't know what you are missing. I didn't say I don't like wine. I just don't see the need in sitting around talking about how it tastes like birch berries and then upchucking it into a spitoon.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:29:59 GMT

Originally posted by aquageek Speaking of wine, do you have to extend the pinky when drinking a glass at a wine bar? Because I'm a swimmer and prefer the pinky entry, I wonder if I'd be an advanced wine drinker. Does sprint beer drinking translate to distance wine drinking? Reminds me of my recent trip to Kalamazoo Michigan where I was asked to enter into a drinking contest against a Canadian college hockey player at Waldo's...... It was male against female, young against the old. The odds were against me...... Well, I don't mean to brag, but I must......I won! I believe I owe it all to the perfect extension of my pinky.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 08:58:13 GMT

Um, if I may cut through all of the amusing sarcasm here to say that the thread was actually whether swimming/chlorine can affect a person's sense of smell, not a discussion on wine.

RE: Sense of Smell

Glenn — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 08:24:31 GMT

Ummmmm, could someone get back to the original question? Does chlorine effect your sense of smell? Thank you. Glenn:)

RE: Sense of Smell

aquageek — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 08:24:03 GMT

Did you ask this person if he detected coconut in the wine? One must have dropped on his head to actually think a dinner discussing leather and oak in wine was a good time.

RE: Sense of Smell

Former Member — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 08:02:10 GMT

Originally posted by aquageek I didn't say I don't like wine. I just don't see the need in sitting around talking about how it tastes like birch berries and then upchucking it into a spitoon. Geek, I bet there are a lot of folks who don't see the need in sitting around discussing whether or not your thumb or pinky should go in the water first on freestyle entry or where you should be looking while swimming breaststroke. Geeze, have a little bit of tolerance for others' interests. Lainey

RE: Sense of Smell

aquageek — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:59:38 GMT

Originally posted by meldyck Ummm. Just go watch Sideways again and have another glass of Merlot. While difficult to admit, this movie called Sideways is one of my all-time favorites, wine and all.

RE: Sense of Smell

aquageek — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 04:13:30 GMT

Speaking of wine, do you have to extend the pinky when drinking a glass at a wine bar? Because I'm a swimmer and prefer the pinky entry, I wonder if I'd be an advanced wine drinker. Does sprint beer drinking translate to distance wine drinking?

RE: Sense of Smell

aquageek — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:13:39 GMT

Originally posted by laineybug Geek, I bet there are a lot of folks who don't see the need in sitting around discussing whether or not your thumb or pinky should go in the water first on freestyle entry or where you should be looking while swimming breaststroke. Geeze, have a little bit of tolerance for others' interests. It's pinky in my book. This isn't a wine forum. You need to be tolerant of my intollerance in order to claim you are tolerant.