A few shrubs in your workplace can help improve your health, writes Sally Howes.
It may seem obvious but scientific studies have proved what we probably already knew: having plants in the office is good for us.
In fact, studies have been piling up for a decade and they all espouse the benefits of a little greenery, not just on our plates but in our surroundings, too.
And there is more to it than you might think. In 2001, the US Environmental Protection Agency found the "indoor environment can be up to 10 times more polluted than outside air" and "indoor air quality is ranked as one of the top-five public health risks in the US".
So on top of the muck in the air outside, indoor spaces get a host of unwelcome extras, especially in new or recently refurbished offices.
The culprits include chemicals leaching from carpet, paint and office furnishings and fittings.
So you now have another reason to hate that ugly office chair – and the so-called padding in it is probably adding to your airborne woes.
Even our computers add nasties to the air and all that handy electronic equipment produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, dust and more.
Australian studies show many of us spend up to 90 per cent of our lives indoors and a good chunk of that is at work, so office air quality is pretty important.
Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. A study in office buildings by the University of Technology, Sydney, showed indoor plants could reduce levels of carbon dioxide by 10 per cent to 25 per cent.
They measured reductions – an enormous 90 per cent – in levels of toxic carbon monoxide. UTS laboratory studies have shown plants can "eliminate repeated high VOC doses within 24 hours" and international research has shown indoor plants can absorb "all types of urban air pollution".
Not a bad result for the humble pot plant. And, surprisingly, it's not just the plant – most of the air-quality improvements happen in the soil.
The plant's root system creates a cosy home for all kinds of good bacteria, the kind normally found in soil, where a symbiotic microcosm develops, continually gobbling up airborne gunk so we don't have to breathe it.
Studies haven't just focused on indoor plants improving office air quality, though – researchers have shown a slew of other benefits.
Problems such as fatigue, headaches and general complaints such as dry and sore throats, coughing, dry hands and itchy skin were reduced when plants were placed in offices.
In Munich, car maker BMW trialled a green office and found, like many other studies, that the plantings reduced noise levels, increased job satisfaction and increased happiness with the working environment, which lead to better general health and reduced absenteeism.
If you aren't already calling out "bring me a shrubbery", plants can also lower blood pressure and reduce the anxiety and stress of work.
Other studies showed that workers aren't just more relaxed, they are even more productive. You may never look at a pot plant in the same way.
They are amazing little factories that filter our air of all sorts of potentially harmful pollutants, leaving us healthier, happier and with improved productivity and a jolly nice view to boot.
Easy to grow indoor plants
Kentia palm
Peace lily
Mother-in-law's tongue
Zanzibar
Happy plant
(According to Jed Thompson of The Plant Man plant hire company)
Do you have plants at work? Do they help? Tell us at mycareer.com.au/vote.
