High levels of CO2 can make you restless, drowsy, cause headaches and bring down concentration. So how did the 6 plants perform in a primary school classroom for 9 weeks?
We know too well that too much carbon dioxide is not a good thing. #climate change The highest concentrations of inhaled CO2 could cause symptoms like sweating, increased heart rate, and difficulty breathing.
In a study by University of Aveiro published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. The indoor air quality of a classroom of primary school children has been looked at and found that after adding plants into the space, the air quality has improved tremendously. As other studies have shown that high levels of could impede on students’ learning ability [1][2][3]
During class times, when the children are actively breathing, the results show an astounding concentration of carbon dioxide, 1,500ppm (parts per million) and above 2500ppm at the peak. However, the plants begin to work their magic by week 5, lowering the average amount in the classroom to levels below 1,000 ppm. Indoors, an excellent amount of carbon dioxide is 450-600ppm while 600-1,000 is acceptable but signals a need for more ventilation. It is to be noted that during the entire campaign, the windows were kept closed except when during the hottest days when one or two windows were cracked open for a few minutes.
Children are usually more likely to suffer from indoor air pollution as they breathe higher volumes of air relative to their body weights. Chronic shortages of funding for schools have contributed to a lack of operating and well-maintained facilities. [4] Of course, having plants in a classroom or any room for that matter is by no means the only solution to make indoor air quality better but they are a good low-cost remedy to fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution.
Plants used for the study: Dracaena deremensis, Dracaena marginata, Spathipyllum sp.
[1] Coley , D.A., Greeves, R. 2004. The effect of low ventilation rates on the cognitive function of a primary school class. Report R102 for DfES, Exeter University.
[2] Shendell, D.G., Prill, R., Fisk, W.J., Apte, M.G., Blake, D., Faulkner, D. 2004. Associations between classroom C02 concentrations and student attendance in Washington and Idaho. Indoor Air 14: 333-341
[3] Smedje, G., Norback, D., Edling, C. 1996. Mental performance by secondary school pupils in relation to the quality of indoor air. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on IAQ and Climate – Indoor Air, Nagoya, Japan, 1996, 413-419
[4] Mendell, M.J. 2007. Indoor residential chemical emissions as risk factors for respiratory and allergic effects in children: a review. Indoor Air 17: 259-277
