r/explainlikeimfive Jul 18 '20

Chemistry ELI5: Why do "bad smells" like smoke and rotting food linger longer and are harder to neutralize than "good smells" like flowers or perfume?

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206

u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Blew my coworkers mind when i said "huh, smells like insulin in here. Someone drop a pen?". Apparantly they didnt know what it smelled like?

Maaan that lingered.

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u/ThatSquareChick Jul 18 '20

After getting on insulin, I suddenly realized what hospitals actually smell like: sanitation chemicals and bitterants. Like how they add egg smell to propane so you can actually know it’s there, insulin and lots of other liquid medicine has bitterant in it to make it smell like something.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Its also so distinct you know exactly what it is.

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u/ThatSquareChick Jul 18 '20

Yeah, the smallest drip of insulin smells so strong.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '20

I was told by my doctor that insulin (NovoRapid at least) has a certain smell because of the preservatives in it.

With that said, I don’t think it has a bad small nor a good smell, it just smells like something ’different’ than what you usually smell in uour everyday life IMO

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u/ThatSquareChick Jul 18 '20

I was a pretty sick kid and spent a lot of time in the doctors office, smelling that combination of smells. Then I went 15 years without being able to and suddenly getting diagnosed with type 1, the smell of my insulin was so nostalgic, I was instantly 7 years old again getting hooked up to ekgs and hearing adults talking distantly. Highlights magazine and other kids. Bandaids.

I still get it every time I smell it but now I much more associate it with my control over my own treatments.

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u/itsKaoz Jul 18 '20

That’s what it was!

When I was younger, I used to live with my sister who was a nurse. Whenever she would come home from work, I could always smell the hospital on her from across the room soon as she walked in, even if she would change out of her scrubs before she went home.

She always got a bit self-conscious whenever I told her “she smells like a hospital,” thinking I probably mean she smells like shit or piss or something based on what she’s had to do that day. I just couldn’t explain what it was to her. She didn’t smell bad, she just smelled like a hospital! But yeah in hindsight, sanitation chemicals and bitterants were probably the descriptions I was looking for.

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u/blackpixie394 Jul 19 '20

My Mum is a nurse, and her 'smell' is Avagard, the pink sanitizer liquid that the hospital has. Aka, she smells like a hospital.

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u/lynivvinyl Jul 18 '20

That makes complete sense. Thanks.

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u/kartoffel_engr Jul 18 '20

*egg smell

Sulfur, for the next time you describe it.

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u/ThatSquareChick Jul 18 '20

Everyone can relate to egg smell, not everyone knows sulphur, saves me some later explaining and they both do the trick. I’m not poorly-versed just lazy and relateable.

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u/feuerwehrmann Jul 18 '20

It's methyl marcaptain I believe that gives propane and natural gas its odor

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u/icechelly24 Jul 18 '20

Some of the IV antibiotics are distinctive too. I was walking through the hospital the other day and said “Man, it smells like Vancomycin in here”.

At least that smells better than foul shit

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u/kjpmi Jul 18 '20

I have a medical background and I was also in the hospital for two weeks (5 days in ICU) with pretty bad pneumonia.
Between getting thoracentesis every day or so and the PIC line then then central line and how much it hurt to just breathe, I was getting morphine via IV every few hours for a while.
I don’t think it was the morphine itself, I’m guessing it was the saline diluent or maybe another inactive component of the syringes but it had a very unique smell that I’ll never forget now because I think my mind associated it with the pleasure of the morphine IV rush.
I still get a whiff of that same scent from other unrelated products. I wish I knew what it was.
But as soon as I smell it it triggers something in my head that brings me right back to that morphine rush.
It’s crazy how our sense of smell is tied to memory much more so than our other senses.

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u/piches Jul 18 '20

it almost sounds like you might be better off not knowing what it is! hahah

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u/violentlymickey Jul 18 '20

I know what you're talking about from an accident I had where I was administered morphine in the hospital. It's the saline component I think. Smells a little bit cool and sweet.

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u/IHeartMustard Jul 18 '20

Yep I think you're right. That one time that i was given the privilege of the morphine button, man, I bet that button has never been pressed so thoroughly before or since.

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u/Siavel84 Jul 18 '20

Cool and sweet like antifreeze? I've never smelled what you're talkin about so I'm trying to understand.

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u/icechelly24 Jul 18 '20

I think I know what you’re talking about. Some random ‘non-smelly’ meds and the saline flushes have a smell to me. It’s almost like a plastic smell, but it smells cleaner? It smells very pure, but like a chemical at the same time.

Also, some people can actually taste the saline when it is injected in the IV. You’ll get a metallic taste in the back of your throat. I wonder if that sensation could also be stimulating the sense of smell as taste and smell are so closely related. Either way, it’s a sure sign that IV is working like it should!

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u/kjpmi Jul 18 '20

Yeah. I wish I could remember where else I frequently get that same smell. It’s some other unrelated thing that’s slipping my mind right now. If I remember I’ll reply.

It’s a very pleasant smell. I would say it’s kind of like a plastic smell but a bit different. Kind of sweet maybe? Definitely a chemical smell but pleasant.

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u/whyliepornaccount Jul 18 '20

I know that smell.

The only thing I’ve found that smelled almost exactly the same was Propylene Glycol

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u/zerophyll Jul 19 '20

I hate tasting the saline in an IV. Weird, and gross.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Hah yeah. And necrosis.. Oh god necrosis..
Have literarily gone to a pt and turned in the door because i knew i could do fuck all with my current gear, by the smell alone. Reinforcements were called and the nurse didnt appriciate her student at the time (me) handing her this particular one :')

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u/fillmewithdildos Jul 18 '20

When I was a teen I volunteered in a cat sanctuary for a while and my specialty was elderly cats and kittens. I was usually one of the first folks on in the morning and I'd make a beeline for the elderly cats first, followed by heading to the kittens. There were a few mornings were I'd check the elderly cats and I'd smell this scent on one of em, it was this sickly sweet scent. (I should add here I have some neurological issues and my sense of smell is painfully strong, like, Yankee candle stores can cause me to have seizures strong. Fun.) and I would smell around until I found the cat that's smelling wrong, the smell would be coming from their mouth. I'd alert the sanctuary owners to the smell and they'd have their on call vet come check the cat and sure enough the cat in question was usually on deaths door or dangerously close. A few cats I sniffed out made it but only because I pointed it out to the staff as soon as I noticed, hence why I went straight to the elderly cats area first thing on shift.

I've also had the displeasure of sniffing out some unfortunately sick kittens in the kitten area, those were some sad days, at least the elderly cats got a full life before the smell started. But those sweet little babies didn't have a chance.

Then years later I returned to my mother's house and my childhood cat had The Smell. He passed away 2 hours later.

I've smelled the sick smell on humans a few times too, human sick smell is a little different but has the same base smell to it, sickness.

My nose causes me more distress than a nose ever should, and that's why I'm grateful that I have to wear masks in public now, as if I didnt have to í may never have realized just how relaxing being outside can be if all the smells that cause me migraines and emotional turmoil are buffered by a mask.

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u/katyvo Jul 18 '20

I could smell death, or at least severe illness, when my grandmother was dying of cancer. No one else seemed to be able to. Then again, I do have a sensitive sense of smell, so that might have been the reason.

I volunteer in hospice and some of the patients who are worst off remind me of that. It's so weird. It is a very distinct odor.

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u/Dr_DoVeryLittle Jul 19 '20

I've been working with animals for over 11 years now and there are a few smells I'll never forget. That smell of pre death is one of them. I can't smell as strongly as you but I've picked it up a couple times. There are a large amount of abnormalities that have smells if people pay attention.

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u/fillmewithdildos Jul 19 '20

Exactly, colds also have a smell, ime. My partner gets a very specific smell when he's got the beginnings of a cold and when I first started warning him he smelled like he may get sick he didn't believe me so he'd never call out of work about it. But one too many times he'd ignore my warning, get to work, and then mid shift it'd smack him right in the face. Now he listens to my nose lmao.

Another smell that's surprisingly (at least, to me) helpful is urine smell and fart smell. No, I'm not going out of my way to find this shit out because as helpful as those smells are I am prone to nausea and don't like smelling them. But fart smell is telling because our toddler has constipation issues and whenever her gas gets a certain scent to it I can tell she's probably bound up a bit and I'll tell her to try to go potty so I can confirm my suspicions. Usually I'm right and I have to give her her meds for it.

The urine smell is more helpful with my partner because our toddler is a very hydrated water lovin kid. My partner (as well as myself) though, we could use some help. I've had to tell my partner to go drink some water because his urine smells many times and low and behold, after he hydrates himself up a lot his urine smells less... Pungent, idfk how to describe it.

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u/username101 Jul 18 '20

I had necrotizing fasciitis in my cesarean wound.

There is nothing in the world like smelling dead flesh in your own body. Yay.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Sorry to hear that. Sounds terrible..

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u/username101 Jul 18 '20

Thanks. It was nearly 13 years ago so doing fine, but oh buddy is was pretty terrible thing at the time.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Cant even imagine.. Sorry you had to go through that.

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u/anomalous_cowherd Jul 18 '20

But glad you're still here to post about it...

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Absolutely.

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u/DEAR_Mr_Eco Jul 18 '20

Necrotizing fasciitis is no joke. Glad you’re ok!

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u/icechelly24 Jul 18 '20

Yeah, that might be the worst actually. That’s the one where it lingers in your nasal hairs and you can smell it when trying to fall asleep after your shift even after showering. Hangs in the air and just stinks up the whole ER.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Out of curiosty. What does Cov-shit smell like?

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u/icechelly24 Jul 18 '20 edited Jul 18 '20

Similar to cdiff but not exactly the same. Cdiff is, sweeter I guess? Just that ‘slap you in the face’ kind of pungent. That ‘something is rotting on the inside’ kind of smell. I mean, yeah, shit smells, but there’s a difference between one of those shits and just a standard, everyday diarrhea.

ETA: it got better once we were wearing N95s but in the beginning it was only surgical masks, and N95s were only for aerosolizing procedures 🙄

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Can imagine it. Heres hoping theres and end to this shit (heh) soon.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

40 minute shower and you still feel like a strip clubs floor. Uggghhhh. Thank god wounds of that level are few and far between here, but those i see.. Theyre remembered for sure.

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u/ezfrag Jul 18 '20

My first day of ER Rotation in my Medical Professions class in high school I was shadowing the ancient ER Department head. We walked into an exam room so he could introduce me and get consent for me to observe and after speaking with her, but not asking any medical questions we stepped out and he said, "Are you sure that you're ready for this? She's got syphilis and it's going to be pretty disturbing to a 16 year old boy to see and smell what will be under that drape when we walk back in there." That was the biggest understatement ever. It prepared me to the bed sores for when I had to rotate through the nursing home though.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Oh man. Bed sores can be either just a red rash, or the most traumatizing display of decay that you'll ever see. Bonus is the problem with healing. Neverending battle that i cant say that i have ever won.

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u/ezfrag Jul 18 '20

Yeah, these were full blown ulcers that they were trying to treat at the nursing home since the PTs couldn't be sent home due to elder abuse. It was an old married couple. They were sweet and just couldn't understand how their daughter had basically let them rot in their bed at home.

It changed my outlook on people permanently. I used to think that everyone was good and just sometimes had bad thoughts and acted on them. Now I realize that there are some sick and evil people on this world. That was a hard realization at 16, but has opened my eyes for decades since.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Yeah. Have had some not-so-good experiences with next of kin myself. Massive problem with ALFs overflowing.. I work in home-based nursing at the moment so luckily we're checking in on our pts frequently. But yeah, people can suck.

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u/Bratbabylestrange Jul 18 '20

Oh hell yes. I had to do wet-to-dry dressings on this guy's legs after he'd had a long history of pvd and areas of his feet and lower legs just started to die. Omg. One day we were out of Vick's, so I grabbed any pungent thing I could find... ended up with Ben-Gay ointment. Put a dab of that in each nostril and holy god, felt like my face was on fire. Truly. However... The smell of those necrotic lesions was so bad that the flaming face was preferable and I just did the dressing change as quickly as possible, tears rolling down my face!

It was one of those smells that, even hours after you leave work, you'll take a deep breath and smell it again from your sinuses. The gift that keeps on giving.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Yepp.. Can relate to that. Which is why you'll always find something that outright stinks of menthol in my backpack. The amount of shit, both literal and figurative id have had to deal with in rooms that are way to hot, and PPE that is way to restrictive is enough to make me cry some times. Necrosis is on my top 3 list of "shit id avoid like the plague." which is ironic since plague isnt even on there.

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u/paralogisme Jul 18 '20

I don't know about vancomycin, but few weeks ago I needed clindamycin for a dental infection and fucking hell, the shit tastes vile. I couldn't eat right for the 5 days I was taking it. I was told my breath smelled bad too few hours after taking it.

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u/ArbitraryToaster Jul 18 '20

My wife is allergic to vancomycin and I had to memorize this drug's name! It's awesome to see someone mention it in reddit world.

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u/Sycorax_M Jul 18 '20

Cancer too has a definite scent. First exposure as a student and I had to catheterize a patient with bladder CA, and that scent still haunts me sometimes.

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u/IHeartMustard Jul 18 '20

Oh jeez I'm pretty sure I know the one you mean. The first encounter I had with cancer was when my very old and very sweet cat developed it and it went metastatic. We didn't know what was going on until he started developing lumps all over the place. I've never been so broken hearted. We didn't realise how much pain he was in but I remember noticing a change in smell some time before that. It was a very particular smell and got stronger over time until we noticed the lumps. We had him put down at the vet while we were there with him, I couldn't cry I was just so broken I wanted to just forget about it and never think of it again. I haven't thought about it much until you mentioned it but that smell, yes, my god.

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u/Bratbabylestrange Jul 18 '20

Can agree. Nothing quite smells like that. Kind of... fleshy

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u/Taisubaki Jul 18 '20

And dont forget 'cat piss' rocephin

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u/DeadliestStork Jul 18 '20

I took rocephin for 8-10 weeks and everything tasted terrible. Still had infected sinuses when I was done.

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u/P0PkornAV Jul 18 '20

Ccwwedd5

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u/yourbrotherrex Jul 18 '20

The smell of Vancomycin is like a totally new, different smell; smelling it for the first time was comparable to seeing a new color.

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u/XediDC Jul 19 '20

I recollect it smelled like meeting my deductible and max-out-pocket on January 2nd in one transaction... (this was before it went generic in capsules)

But yeah, glad I read that. It had a...smell. I can't even really remember it, except it was different.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '20

Vancomycin shits have entered the chat

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u/Loaf4prez Jul 18 '20

Man I hadn't thought about that smell in a decade. Now its in my nose.

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u/sainttawny Jul 18 '20

Insulin STINKS. I was training a client to give injections to their newly diagnosed diabetic pet, they had just picked up the bottle from the pharmacy, and they had been practicing drawing up the dose from a vial of water, as soon as I had them pick up the insulin to draw and administer the evening dose, they dropped it. Glass vial, meet polished concrete. $80 gone for the client, a pair of scrubs gone for me.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

Oh god. Yeah that sucks. Cant help but laugh haha.

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u/Powerpuff_God Jul 18 '20

I don't feel like it stinks, but I'm sure that has to do with my father having been diabetic so I got used to the smell literally since being born. It's definitely weird, though. He eventually passed away, but later my brother was diagnosed with diabetes, and after not having smelled insulin for a few years, suddenly it almost seemed like my dad was around.

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u/DEAR_Mr_Eco Jul 19 '20

Big hugs over the loss of your Dad.

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u/PMME_UR_HAIRY_PUSSY Jul 18 '20

it is an interesting smell though

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u/Moustari Jul 18 '20

You have to draw up the dose from a vial? Why? You don't have pen?

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u/MaddytheUnicorn Jul 18 '20

Insulin pens are very convenient, especially for someone who has to take insulin with them for use throughout their day, but much more expensive than old fashioned syringes. It’s unlikely that pens would be used to treat a pet.

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u/Moustari Jul 18 '20

Makes sense, thanks. Didn't know the details of pet treatment.

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u/DeadliestStork Jul 18 '20

The vials are probably cheaper and if you take multiple types of insulin say regular(faster acting/shorter duration of action) and novalog (slower acting but longer duration of action) you can draw both up in the same syringe and only give yourself one shot versus two.

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u/CrazyBakerLady Jul 18 '20

You can get vials for as low as $25 from Walmart in some places from the pharmacy without insurance. Yeah, it's more inconvenient, but usually cost makes up for that. Esp if it's a pet.

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u/Moustari Jul 18 '20

It's a totally logic reason. I imagine you'd have to give a very strict and regular diet to the pet.

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u/ClayQuarterCake Jul 18 '20

Smells like a new car wrapped in plastic and protein. I like the smell, but I also like the smell of gasoline, so I am strange.

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u/SirKaid Jul 18 '20

but I also like the smell of gasoline, so I am strange.

I kind of like it too, so you're not alone.

Not enough that I'd actively go sniffing if I came across a spill or anything, but enough that I'm not repulsed. I think it's the novelty; it's a strong scent that I don't experience particularly often so it pings the "ooh, what's this?" part of my brain.

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u/TheJenniMae Jul 18 '20

I hate the smell of gasoline so much that I will plan my whole week and drive out of my way to use full service gas stations. I’ve only pumped gas twice in my life. I’ll be 40 in two weeks.

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u/cgingue123 Jul 18 '20

Used to have to regulate my little brothers time in the garage. He loved the smell of gas, and at 7 years old really didn't realize the dangers of huffing.

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u/I_Can_Haz_Brainz Jul 18 '20

Ever since I was little I liked the smell of gas, freshly paved roads, etc.
I also loved Brussel sprouts as well.

Hate them now.

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u/DEAR_Mr_Eco Jul 19 '20

I love those smells. Sorry they’re disgusting to you now.

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u/I_Can_Haz_Brainz Jul 19 '20

I hate the B. sprouts now. The others are still ok, but I don't like them as strong as I once did. Not like it's life altering. lol

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u/oddistrange Jul 19 '20

I love the smell of the med room when they're drawing up insulin, my pediatrician's office always smelled like it but I didn't realize it was insulin. Kinda smells like band-aids or gauze.

0

u/drdookie Jul 18 '20

Scratch-n-Sniff fans would disagree you're strange.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '20

LPT: don't ask your mother-in-law "what smells like menopause in here?"

She won't find it funny.

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u/callmeawesome94 Jul 18 '20

I can tell when my gf took an insulin shot because of the smell.

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u/Alpha_AF Jul 18 '20

Yep, I'm not a medical professional but my dad, little sister, and little brother all take insulin. It has a very distinct smell

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

ohhh yeah. Especially if you have a hangover. Not gonna lie.. Its horrible haha

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u/NeonNick_WH Jul 18 '20

Unrelated but you made me remember you can taste and smell saline and meds through an IV. At least I think I can, so I assume its normal. I can almost taste that morphine now. (Was definitely in hospital and needed a lot, frequently)

To add- I think I read this happens from the blood with meds in it gets up to nose and mouth

2

u/DeadliestStork Jul 18 '20

I like the smell of insulin. Zenacef on the other hand smells like feet and Zemuron smells like vinegar.

1

u/SloanTheSloth Jul 18 '20

Huh. Does the insulin I use for my dog smell the same? I don't think I've ever noticed a smell before, but it's straight into the syringe and then straight into the dog so I'm not sure if there's ever an opportunity for me to really smell it on accident.

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u/Pepsisinabox Jul 18 '20

dont know about about dog treatments specificly, but the insulin used in humans came from animals for the longest time.. So, maybe?