Over the years, I’ve noticed that there is more awareness regards to outdoor pollution and what methods can combat it. However, something that’s rarely discussed is the topic of indoor pollution and how that can affects people’s health. Studies show that “household air pollution” is estimated to have become a very high global risk factor “accounting for 3.9 million premature deaths in 2010” (Franchini, 2018). There should definitely be an equal or at least a similar amount of awareness between outdoor and indoor pollution. In the present day, people are spending more and more time indoors mainly due to increasing global “urbanization” (Wolkoff, 2018). This number can be as high or higher than “90%” for “most individuals” (Begum, 2017). More people are using cars, working in office buildings, online shopping, having food delivered to their homes, etc. As a result, our exposure to “air pollutants is often quantitatively higher” indoors as opposed to the latter (Wolkoff, 2018). It is estimated by the World Health Organization that “one of nine deaths” are the result of air pollution (Franchini, 2018). Just imagine being in an office or any other confined space for hours each day. Additionally, suppose the room has poor ventilation. Any pollution that may go inside the room whether it came from the outside or inside will probably stay in the room for an extended period of time. Staying in that same room will constantly expose you to the pollution and affect your health in the long run.

In developing countries, this problem can be more severe depending on the people’s lifestyle. The smoke produced from “solid fuels” used can be very detrimental to pulmonary health as their homes most likely have poor ventilation (Franchini, 2018). One of the most common indoor air pollutants is Formaldehyde. Unfortunately, this “colorless gas” can come from a huge variety of “furniture and material” used to build the house and several “combustion sources” such as “tobacco” and the solid fuels mentioned earlier (Teiri, 2018). It can cause several acute and chronic health problems and is more prevalent in “newly built or refurbished residences” rather than in older buildings (Teiri, 2018). That proves that no matter where you live in, there will always at least one source of indoor pollution that can prove detrimental to one’s health.

Now that it is apparent that most of the world’s households are affected by some sort of pollution, the real question is, how can this issue be addressed? How can all these harmful substances be at least partially eliminated without having to buy a fancy and possibly costly purification device? A great solution can be to simply buy an indoor plant. If everyone would invest in an indoor plant, global health would improve drastically. To start off with the health benefits of having an indoor plant, let’s ignore air quality for now and focus more on air humidity. Humans can experience a variety of health issues because of “dry air” mainly prevalent in “office-like environments”(Wolkoff, 2018). Being in this type of environment could cause “dry eye diseases”, more susceptibility to the “influenza virus”, and even lower quality of sleep (Wolkoff, 2018). Not only are these types of environments present in office building, but can also be present in schools, universities, households, laboratories, etc. Fortunately, plants “release roughly 97% of the water they take in” causing confined spaces such as these to have an increase in humidity (5 benefits, 2018). Having frizzier hair than usual is a very small disadvantage when comparing it to the harmful side effects of dry air. Additionally, some indoor plants have the ability to efficiently eliminate many types of pollution caused by everyday activities and items. They have the ability to remove up to “87%” of toxins such as formaldehyde, “benzene”, “trichloroethylene” and other “volatile organic compounds” (Teiri, 2018). This entire process of purifying the air of harmful toxins is called “phytoremediation” and is the “most effective, economically and environmental friendly” method of purifying air indoors (Teiri, 2018). A problem with modern architecture is that though it may be more structurally efficient than older architecture, the air quality as mentioned earlier, is significantly lower as many buildings are “air-tight” and provide little to no circulation (5 benefits, 2018). I actually visited the UT Administration building not too long ago and payed attention to the internal structure of the top floor. It was very confined and bland in terms of color. It wasn’t a very welcoming area. However, once I walked in the office room I was supposed to visit, I noticed that the owner had many plants right next to the window. It amazed me to see an example of someone who actually works in a stereotypical office environment having plants whether it be for decor or health concerns. Examples of plants efficient enough to be considered suitable for the removal of toxins in such spaces include the “spider plant”, “dragon tree”, “snake plant”, etc (5 benefits, 2018). Some of these plants require “moist soil” or “dry soil” and can typically thrive in room temperatures (Dubin, 2013). They’re very low maintenance in my opinion.

Figure 1: Bamboo Plant (10/1/18)

Last semester, I purchased a small bamboo plant from HEB. At first, I only bought it for decor purposes. However, the more I saw it in my room, the more I started thinking about what health benefits this plant could actually be providing for me. Although I don’t feel any healthier simply by having it in my room, I still know that it is at least somewhat beneficial to my health. I can at least count on the fact that the carbon dioxide levels in my room are lower in my room as a result. The area I live in is relatively dense with fauna, however, after actually conducting research on this topic, I now realize that all the plants that may be outside will probably not benefit me as much while I am inside my room due to the architecture of the place I live in. Knowing that this plant is in my room while detoxifying the air I breathe gives me a more peaceful state of mind. Not only that, but studies have shown that indoor plants can “improve concentration and productivity by up to 15 percent” and can reduce stress levels (Lee, 2017). I believe this is especially important for college students. Those who study in their rooms will be more relaxed and prepared to study course material. Those that don’t study in their room will still reap the benefits as their sleep quality can improve greatly. Lastly, overall physical and mental health can improve, which is very important in terms of academic performance. Those in office jobs can also reap the benefits in the same way. In a sense, they would probably reap the benefits more than college students do due to the fact that those working in office jobs tend to stay inside for longer periods of time. Having more plants in places such as hospitals could also be beneficial, however research will have to be done to determine whether or not this would cause even more health issues with some patients. Granted, due to the lack of exposure to outdoor factors, indoor plants tend to have less “minerals and nutrients” as opposed to outdoor plants thus contributing to less efficient photosynthesis (Rauscher, 2018). However, a live plant will go through the same process regardless, so the origin and environment of the plant should not matter as long as it’s properly cared for. Additionally, an outdoor plant wouldn’t be ideal in a confined space as indoor plants have a lower “temperature tolerance” and a longer “life span” (M., 2009). The bamboo plant I have is still alive and well after about a year or so, despite the multiple times I’ve forgotten to water it.

As the world population increases, the amount of pollution is bound to also increase due to the burning of fossils fuels, rising number of factories, and untended waste. This problem is already very prominent in cities like Beijing, China. The city is filled with filthy smog which is causing many health issues with the residents. Since it will take many, many outdoor plants and other measures to fix this issue, I believe the best temporary solution for people who live in places like Beijing would be phytoremediation. If every person in a household had at least one plant in their homes, I believe that the plant/s would be more effective in a confined space rather than the entire outside world. As opposed to the trend of rising levels of air pollution indoors as compared to outdoors, those people could have the possibility of having healthier environments in their homes thus combating the outside pollution. Programs and organizations can also be formed to provide plants to those who cannot afford them or who are simply not aware of this ongoing issue. Spreading awareness on this topic can definitely change global health statistics in a positive manner. It would be very interesting to conduct an experiment in which researchers analyze how academic performance and health are influenced by having at least one plant in every student’s room. Of course, not all students would be willing to participate, but this experiment would definitely spread awareness regarding the severity of indoor pollution.

Works Cited

1. Franchini, M., & Mannucci, P. M. (2018, June 29). Mitigation of air pollution by greenness: A narrative review. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953620518302711?via=ihub
2. Teiri, H., Pourzamzni, H., & Hajizadeh, Y. (2018, August 14). Phytoremediation of Formaldehyde from Indoor Environment by Ornamental Plants: An Approach to Promote Occupants Health. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30167100
3. Pettit, T., Irga, P., & Tory, F. R. (2018, June 06). Towards practical indoor air phytoremediation: A review. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653518311238?via=ihub
4. Wolkoff, P. (2018, January 31). Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health — An overview. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463917306946?via=ihub
5. Begum, A. J., & Gopinath, R. (2017, November 1). DEVELOPMENT OF STEP-WISE RANKING FOR INDOOR PLANTS AS INDOOR AIR POLLUTANT PURIFIERS. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12&sid=d7d6443d-2f50-457f-9b58-1e1e4d233694@pdc-v-sessmgr02
6. 5 Benefits of Houseplants. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.bioadvanced.com/articles/5-benefits-houseplants
7. Lee, S. (2017, July 13). Houseplants can instantly improve your health and happiness. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/indoor-plants-can-instantly-boost-your-health-happiness-ncna781806
8. Dubin, A. (2013, February 28). These are the 15 easiest indoor houseplants (that won’t die on you). Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.today.com/home/easiest-indoor-house-plants-won-t-die-you-t73006
9. Rauscher, F. (2018, May 03). Same but Different: Indoor vs. Outdoor Nutrients. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.maximumyield.com/same-but-different-indoor-vs-outdoor-nutrients/2/3889
10. M. (2009, June 24). What Are the Differences Between Indoor Plants & Outdoor Plants? Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.hunker.com/12189133/what-are-the-differences-between-indoor-plants-outdoor-plants