Zaragoza, Spain, 3^rd May 2018 - The EU-funded D-NOSES project held its kick off meeting on the 25^th & 26^th April 2018 at the University College London campus. The project consortium, coordinated by the Ibercivis Foundation (Spain), is a world-class partnership comprising 15 partners which combines experts in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), citizen science and co-creation, International Associations, odour scientists, and includes universities and SMEs, local administration and public bodies from 9 countries.

   Across Europe, odour pollution is the second biggest reason for citizens’ environmental complaints, after noise. Frequent exposure to odour is associated with headache, stress and respiratory problems. Lead by the Ibercivis Foundation, experts in citizen science, and coordinated by the odour expert Rosa Arias, “D-NOSES will demonstrate that odour pollution is an indicator of larger environmental issues. It can affect our health and also contributes to climate change in the case of landfills or livestock facilities”. Due to the lack of regulation, situated technical studies are rarely conducted, so that data on odour pollution is either scarce or difficult to access. Without data it is difficult for affected groups to prove the impact on their communities and build a case for change.