Identifying Sources of Unpleasant Odors in Men's Railway Station Restrooms and Verifying Effectiveness of Countermeasures to Reduce Those Odors

Unpleasant odors in restrooms in railway stations and on trains are one of the objects of many complaints from railway customers. Therefore, countermeasures to reduce these unpleasant odors are required. In railway station restrooms, we are investigating the sources of ammonia, one of the main compounds responsible for unpleasant odors in public restrooms. To conduct this investigation, we developed a prototype of a portable, highly sensitive ammonia measuring instrument. We used this instrument to search for sources of ammonia in men's railway station restrooms and confirmed the difference in concentration of ammonia depending on cleaning methods and seasons. In addition, we verified the effectiveness of countermeasures implemented by cleaning companies to reduce unpleasant odors.