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¡¡¡¡Could house plants transform you into the ideal employee? At a conference in Amsterdam this weekend, organized by the Plants for People group, scientists will show how plants in offices could be the key to lowering stress and its related health problems at work. The results of studies indicate that house plants not only improve air quality but can boost productivity and reduce the amount of sick leave taken by staff.
¡¡¡¡When Professor Virginia Lohr, of Washington State University, asked two groups of students, both working in windowless offices, to complete computer-based tests, she found that reaction time was 12 per cent faster and stress levels much lower among those who had plants on their desks.
¡¡¡¡Similar results were recorded by Helen Russell, an environmental scientist at the University of Surrey, who asked subjects to perform mental arithmetic exercises while being distracted by irritating noises as she measured changes in their heart rate and blood pressure. Again, when plants were introduced, indicators of stress were far lower. Both researchers agree that the air purifying action of plants helped to create a more relaxed environment; in Russell¡¯s study, plants led eventually to a 60 per cent fall in absenteeism from work.
¡¡¡¡Placing plants in poorly ventilated rooms has long been known to improve air quality and humidity. But it is now thought that the ability of plants to reduce levels of volatile organic chemicals emitted from man-made materials used in products such as paints, carpets, furniture and glue has a direct influence on stress and health at work.
¡¡¡¡The average office provides an air-borne cocktail of compounds from dry cleaning chemicals, shampoos, soaps and deodorants adding to the VOCs. ¡°Almost everyone carries VOCs on them,¡± says Dr Ronald Wood, of Sydney University of Technology. ¡°When chemical emissions are multiplied by the number of people in any place, the exposure to risks is phenomenal. VOCs are believed to be a major cause of headaches, stress, lethargy, sore eyes and respiratory problems. Plants metabolise pollutants; they literally clean the air we breathe.¡±
¡¡¡¡Other studies have shown impressive results. Professor Tove Fjeld, of the University of Agriculture in Oslo, questioned Norwegian pupils and office workers about their working conditions and state of mind. He found that the presence of house plants increased concentration levels by 33 per cent, reduced headaches by 45 per cent and resulted in 31 per cent fewer complaints about dry throats and coughs. Almost 33 per cent of people were less tired, and colds and runny noses dropped by 11 per cent.
¡¡¡¡¡°The roots of plants break down chemicals that have been absorbed through the soil or leaves and turn them into food for the plants. We found that this lowered VOCs by a third,¡± Fjeld says. ¡°A similar process helps plants to control humidity, helping to prevent coughs and sore throats.¡±
¡¡¡¡In America and Australia many companies, persuaded by Wood's research, insist on installing plants to improve indoor air. "A 1 per cent loss in productivity by employees who are dissatisfied with work conditions equates to almost four times the average cost of heating or air-conditioning the entire building. That could be prevented with the use of plants," he says. |
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