Threshold responses of odor, nasal pungency (irritation), and eye irritation were measured for single chemicals (Lpropanol, l-hexanol, ethyl acetate, heptyl acetate, 2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, toluene, ethyl benzene, and propyl benzene) and mixtures of them (two three-component mixtures, two sixcomponent mixtures, and one nine-component mixture). Nasal pungency was measured in subjects lacking a functional sense of smell (i.e., anosmics) to avoid interference from olfaction. Various degrees of stimulus agonism (additive effects) were observed for each of the three sensory channels when testing mixtures. As the number of components and the lipophilicity of such components in the mixtures increased, so did the degree of agonism, Synergistic stimulus agonism characterized the eyeirritation response for the most complex (the nine-component) and the most lipophilic (one of the sixcomponent) mixtures. Physicochemical properties playa large role in the determination of sensitivity to airborne chemicals, particularly to their ability to evoke irritation. Whilethis has revealed itself previously with respect to single chemicals, it seems to have relevance to mixtures as well.Airborne chemicals in the environment are detected by humans through two sensory channels: olfaction and the so-called common chemical sense (CCS), or chernesthesia. The sense of smell is mediated by the olfactory nerve (cranial nerve I), whereas the facial CCS (from the various mucosae: ocular, nasal, and oral) is principally mediated by the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V).Since almost any odorant-at a high enough concentration-evokes not only odor but also chemesthetic sensations, an issue in human chemoreception entails distinguishing between a purely olfactory and a combined olfactory-trigeminal nasal response. We have begun to clarify this matter by measuring nasal detection thresholds to airborne compounds in subjects with a normal