14 DAY TRIAL // Taking a potted plant and placing it on your desk might not be just a girlie thing, as in, prompted by aesthetic reasons, as we all might be tempted to believe. In fact, a plant helps us fight allergies caused by indoor pollution in what is known as the “Sick Building Syndrome,” according to a NASA study.
Sneezing and sniffing at the office does not mean we’re allergic to work, experts jokingly tells us. These two are the clearest sign that we’re suffering from chemical sensitivity to office items such as carpeting, adhesives, upholstery, copy machine chemicals and cleaning agents.
This is why a plant can be extremely effective in cleaning the air in the room by absorbing these potentially harmful gases and cutting down indoor pollution in modern buildings.
“We feel that future results will provide an even stronger argument that common indoor landscaping plants can be a very effective part of a system used to provide pollution free homes and work places.” Dr. Bill Wolverton, who formerly worked with NASA and has been the leader of the study throughout its two years, says as quoted by Zone10.
“Plants take substances out of the air through the tiny openings in their leaves. But research in our laboratories has determined that plant leaves, roots and soil bacteria are all important in removing trace levels of toxic vapors.” Dr. Wolverton further adds.
While an air purifier could also work in these cases, the study emphasized that the green option (literally) would truly work wonders. Plus, it would also look much better than the air purifier, since it would also leave plenty of room for the owner of the respective desk to fully unfold his/her creativity.
However, “combining nature with technology can increase the effectiveness of plants in removing air pollutants.” Dr. Wolverton also explains. “A living air cleaner is created by combining activated carbon and a fan with a potted plant. The roots of the plant grow right in the carbon and slowly degrade the chemicals absorbed there.” he further points out. The bottom line is, though, that plants at the workplace not only improve the quality of the air we breathe, but also make that of our life better. Thus, we get to enjoy it more, while also being more productive.