136 ODOR
Increased reuse of available water supplies has led to greater emphasis on the subjective quality criteria of water. Domestic consumers and process industries such as food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers require water essentially free of taste and odors. Most organic and some inorganic chemicals contribute taste or odor. These may originate from municipal and industrial waste discharges, natural sources (such as decomposition of vegetable matter), or from associated microbiological activity. Because odorous materials are detectable when present in only a few micrograms perliter and are often complex, it is