The Odorscreen

In the Financial Times article about innovative technologies coming out of Israel (oh boy, we had a run of different innovative products coming out of Israel lately — how soon someone will accuse us of bias?), we read about Odorscreen™ from Patus Ltd. Used during the recent tsunami relief efforts, Odorscreen was initially designed for emergency response workers responsible for collecting body parts after terrorist attacks.
The company website describes the technology:

Exposure to highly offensive odors such as decomposing flesh, vomits, and the like are known to cause mental disorders and other health problems in medical professionals, military and Homeland Security field personnel. Some of the most frequently reported health complaints include depression, tension, anger, fatigue, and confusion. Other symptoms include headache, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, and nasal congestion. A number of people also present psychological symptoms.
Odorscreen diminishes the user’s perception of offensive odors to a tolerant level and, in some cases, provides a total elimination of the stench factor. This gel like substance, which contains white pharmaceutical Vaseline of the highest level and special fragrances, is simply applied under the nostrils and can lasts up to two full hours. It is stainless and disposable.
Regular use of Odorscreen helps improve the work environment of those in the fields of military and emergency medicine, first responders, pathology, wound care, and veterinary services. It is also ideal for rescue and recovery missions.

For some of you it might be a trivial issue. For those of us involved with rectal digital decompressions, gangrenes and C. diff diarrhea, odor control is far from a trivial matter.
More at Patus…
Update: A dedicated reader wrote in asking what rectal digital decompressions are. The hint is that “digital” does not refer to discrete electronic signals, but to the finger on the doctor’s hand.