Plantscapes silk plants and artificial trees.

Health Benefits of Plants in the Office

Healthy real plants in the office provide an inexpensive method of cleansing the air of toxic gases emitted from modern office equipment, such as computers, photocopiers and fax machines. Allowing these gases to build up can cause headaches and irritation to the eyes (source N.A.S.A). See Office Emitters and Absorbers table below, which lists the chemicals present in the office.

With health and safety in mind, many companies now install large plant displays to maintain the office air quality with additional advantage of enhancing the corporate image.

Interior Plants Reduce Office Staff Sickness

Palm plants have helped cure staff at an aerospace company of headaches, nausea and itchy eyes. When a new industrial photocopier was installed at 'VT Aerospace', in Dorset staff soon became unwell.

A Landscaping firm suggested installing some palms, which are believed to remove office pollution.

After three weeks staff said their symptoms were disappearing. When the palms were removed the symptoms returned during a week of heavy photocopier use, and symptoms disappeared again within three days of the palms' return.

It is not just photocopiers that cause problems; modern office suffer airborne pollutants from various things such as carpets, ceiling tiles and air conditioning. Research has shown that plants are effective at restoring air quality.

VT Aerospace proposals manager Sid Harding said 'we were not sure at first if the result was simply psychological, but when the plants were removed I had a headache every evening which disappeared once they came back.'

Source Horticulture Week.

Office Emitters and Absorbers

Emitters	Gases Produced	Absorbers
Computer Screens	xylene/toluene	G R E E N P L A N T S
Photocopies	xylene/toluene/benzene trichloroethylene/ammonia
Correction Fluid	acetone
Paint	formaldehyde/xylene/toluene benzene/alcohols
Chipboard	formaldehyde/ benzene xylene/toluene /alcohols
Chairs	Formaldehyde
People	acetone/ethyl alcohol methyl alcohol/ethyl acetate

Chemicals in your Office

These are the chemicals that in sufficient amounts could harm you.

(Source eco friendly house plants B.V. Wolverton)

Chemical	Symptoms
Acetone	headaches, drowsiness, irritation in throat and nose
Ammonia	breathing problems
Benzene	headaches, drowsiness, nausea and breathing difficulties
Ethyl- alcohol	eye irritation, breathing difficulties, headache, drowsiness and body tremors
Ethyl- acetate	anemia, eye, nose, gum irritation, breathing difficulties and lethargy.
Form- aldehyde	breathing difficulties, eye, ear and nose irritation and possible carcinogen
Methyl - alcohol	headache, nausea and irritation of mucous membrane
Toluene	impaired co-ordination, slow reaction times, mental sluggishness and accident prone.
Trychloro – ethylene	headache, dizziness, memory loss, lassitude, anemia and breathing problems.
Xylene	confusion, nausea, coughs and catarrh

For other Interior Landscaping and Office Plants Benefits Click here

For an article on BMW going green click here