| Introduction | | | | health effects of combined chemical exposure. |
| | | | The best health protection measure is to |
| People have worked indoors for many | | | | limit your exposure to products and materials |
| centuries, but it is only in the last few | | | | that contain VOCs when possible. If you think |
| decades that the indoor environment is | | | | you may be having health problems caused by |
| generally totally sealed, air conditioned, | | | | VOC exposure consult an occupational |
| and filled with synthetic materials that can | | | | environmental health physician who |
| out gas chemicals into the air. These | | | | specializes in this area " |
| chemicals called VOCs, or volatile organic | | | | |
| compounds, can have concentrations several | | | | The following link is to a Fact Sheet from |
| times higher then that present in outdoor | | | | the Australian Department of the Environment, |
| city air, and are recognized as having a | | | | which gives details on the VOCs indoors and |
| deleterious effect on the health of people | | | | their health effects. |
| working in this environment. | | | | |
| | | | John Bergs in a study in the Netherlands |
| Over the last twenty years it has become | | | | found that health complaints by office |
| recognized that indoor plants have the | | | | workers have been on the increase since the |
| ability to remove these VOCs from the indoor | | | | seventies, and found that on average some 35% |
| air, or at least substantially reduce their | | | | of office workers are dissatisfied with the |
| concentration. | | | | interior environment and 20% suffer from |
| | | | health complaints such as eye complaints and |
| This article out lines the health effect | | | | nose and throat irritations. In the same |
| thought to be caused by these VOCs in indoor | | | | study he showed the benefits that can accrue |
| air, and looks at the research behind the | | | | from having indoor plants in the office. |
| removal of these compounds using indoor | | | | |
| plants. As the most effective way to keep | | | | It is well to remember that indoor air could |
| plants healthy in offices is indoor plant | | | | be found to be under the control of the |
| hire, it is suggested that indoor plant hire | | | | employer and as such the employer may have |
| is the preferred option of maintaining plants | | | | responsibilities and potential liabilities. |
| in offices. | | | | |
| | | | Indoor Plant Hire Benefits. |
| Air quality inside offices | | | | |
| | | | Over the last twenty years, it has been |
| The use of synthetic building materials, | | | | proven that healthy indoor plants, as used in |
| printers, computers, cleaners and personal | | | | indoor plant hire, have the ability to remove |
| care products, combined with the practice of | | | | VOCs from the indoor air. Research has shown |
| air conditioning buildings, has resulted in | | | | that the system in action is the biological |
| the build up of chemicals called volatile | | | | interaction between the plant roots and the |
| organic compounds in buildings. Below are | | | | potting mix, enhancing micro organisms |
| some building materials and the chemical they | | | | present to "eat up" the VOCs. Further more; |
| exude: | | | | their appetite seems to increase with |
| | | | increased exposure to VOCs. |
| Adhesives, ceiling tiles, paints, printers | | | | |
| Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene. | | | | As early as 1980, Dr. Wolverton working for |
| | | | the NASA space program discovered that indoor |
| Photocopiers, particle board Formaldehyde | | | | plants could remove VOCs from sealed test |
| | | | chambers. This was part of a NASA study into |
| It will be shown later in this article that | | | | clean air inside closed life support systems. |
| the indoor plants used in indoor plant hire | | | | |
| can remove the above chemicals. | | | | In 1990 Dr. Wolverton in association with the |
| | | | Plants for Clean Air Council in the U.S. |
| Amongst other contaminants, over 300 VOCs | | | | tested fifty indoor plants for their ability |
| have been found in office air (Weshler | | | | to remove various VOCs from sealed test |
| Shields 1996) as well as other toxic gasses | | | | chambers. These finding were published in Dr. |
| such as nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide | | | | Wolverton's book "ECO friendly house plants", |
| (Ross 1996). | | | | published in 1996. |
| | | | |
| Frequently no single pollutant having toxic | | | | A lot of recent research on the subject has |
| potential is present in unhealthy amounts, | | | | been carried out by Ronald Wood and Associate |
| yet combined they form part of a chemical | | | | Professor Margaret Burchett from the U.T.S. |
| soup, which when combined with ozone can | | | | in Sydney. Research in test chambers, |
| produce hydroxyl radicals (Weshler 1996). | | | | progressed to experiments in real office |
| | | | situations in Sydney, and the results were |
| In Australia the CSRIO can sample air within | | | | published in their paper entitled "The potted |
| buildings and is able to measure a large | | | | plant microcosm substantially reduces indoor |
| range of potential pollutants. | | | | air VOC pollution: 1. Office field study" |
| | | | February 1996. Some of the conclusions were: |
| Health effects of VOC exposure | | | | |
| | | | Where indoor TVOC load was above 100 parts |
| Research in Europe and the U.S. shows that | | | | per billion, indoor plants reduced the level |
| most people in cities spend 90% of their time | | | | by up to 70% |
| indoors (Hodgson, Mann and Cavello 1997), and | | | | |
| productivity losses of up to 6% have been | | | | Reducing the number of plants per test |
| shown in buildings where the indoor air | | | | location did not reduce the VOC levels |
| quality is poor. | | | | removed, pointing to increased activity by |
| | | | the micro organisms. |
| The Minnesota Department of Health in the | | | | |
| U.S. lists the following health effects from | | | | Research in Europe ( John Bergs and Tove |
| VOC exposure: | | | | Fjeld) and the United States (Virginia Lhor |
| | | | 1996) have shown that in offices with indoor |
| " | | | | plants ( as compared to offices without |
| | | | plants) worker productivity increases of up |
| Acute | | | | to 12% have been measured, and on average |
| | | | health complaints related to sick building |
| * Eye irritation / watering | | | | syndrome reduced by 20%. |
| | | | |
| * Nose irritation | | | | The above results have all been produced with |
| | | | healthy indoor plants. Whilst in a home |
| * Throat irritation | | | | situation it is feasible to adequately |
| | | | maintain indoor plants, this requires a |
| * Headaches | | | | professional indoor plant hire service in an |
| | | | office situation, where other duties take |
| * Nausea / Vomiting | | | | priority. The author has seen many offices |
| | | | were the staff "looked after" the plants. In |
| * Dizziness | | | | ninety nine per cent of these situations the |
| | | | indoor plants were unsightly and as good as |
| * Asthma exacerbation | | | | dead. This fact has been recognized by the |
| | | | Green Building Council in Australia where, in |
| Chronic | | | | order to gain 2 points under their Green Star |
| | | | rating system a two year professional |
| * Cancer | | | | maintenance scheme needs to be in place. |
| | | | |
| * Liver damage | | | | Good Indoor Plants for removing VOCs |
| | | | |
| * Kidney damage | | | | The following is a list of the plants that |
| | | | recorded the highest VOC removal rating in |
| * Central Nervous System damage | | | | Wolverton's tests. The list only includes |
| | | | common plants used in the indoor plant hire |
| Most studies to date have been conducted on | | | | industry. |
| single chemicals. Less is know about the | | | | |