Health for Body Mind and Soul

Improving indoor air quality is a significant element to enhancing health and preventing illness. New energy efficient building techniques tightly seal buildings to improve energy efficiency. While this process does reduce energy consumption, the downside is that the process traps potentially harmful chemicals, bacteria, and viruses inside buildings, which in turn, can make people sick.

A study on indoor air quality which examined the usefulness of plants for improving the air quality indoors provided more information on this subject. The researchers used an energy efficient test home and placed common houseplants inside the dwelling. The rooms adjacent to the plants were used as the test area while a portion of the home isolated from the plants was used as the control. The test was conducted over various seasons, and lasted for months at a time.

Interestingly, the researchers found the area isolated from the plants had a 50% higher level of microbial pollution. This indicates that having a large number of indoor plants in a sealed building is an effective and efficient way to naturally reduce the amount of toxins found in the air. In turn, less toxins in the air will potentially lead to a reduced number of illnesses and a better overall quality of life.

Another finding from the study was the increased level of humidity in rooms that contained plants. While humidity itself does not remove microbes from the air, it does provide a better breathing environment for certain conditions. Increased humidity can help reduce the number of colds or asthma attacks people may experience.

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