Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by ronthepon

Didn't know plants got rid of VOCs.

It would be excellent if plants became a totally integral part of the

Apart from soaking up co2

Indoor plants improve office air

Wednesday, 28 August 2002

Sydney researchers have found that indoor plants improve the air quality of rooms with little or no airflow.

A team led by Adjunct Professor Margaret Burchett at the University of Technology, Sydney, have found that common indoor potted plants such as the Peace Lily and the Kentia Palm improve indoor air by reducing levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

The scientists found that indoor plants reduce VOCs by up to 100 per cent over 24 hours in a closed environment.

VOCs include compounds such as benzene and hexane, and are known to be toxic to humans at high levels. They are present at low levels in many indoor environments. Some, like benzene, make their way inside buildings through pollution from traffic outside. Others are present as a result of their use in paints, carpeting, and furniture fabric, especially in new or recently refurbished buildings.

According to Dr Stephen Brown of CSIRO Built Environment, VOCs can contribute to 'sick building syndrome' — a phenomenon in which a higher proportion of occupants experience symptoms such as dry eyes, dry nose and throat, headache, lethargy, and nausea.

News in Science - Indoor plants improve office air - 28/08/2002

Research Findings: Overall and Men vs. Women

In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.

During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were presen

Flowers & Plants Improve Workplace Productivity