Abstract
According to Florence Nightingale, the connection between health and the dwelling of the population is one of the most important that exists. In the United States, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors with a typical work week consisting of 40 to 50 hours, frequently exposing them to indoor air pollutants, some of which can be harmful to the human body. These indoor air pollutants, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), have been found to be much higher in new buildings. Research shows that VOCs can cause acute and chronic health effects (e.g., headaches, genotoxicity, CNS depression, cancer, and congenital abnormalities) making discovering ways to reduce the amount of VOCs in the workplace critical. It is vital as nurses to educate patients on harmful chemicals and ways to find efficient, cost effective ways to reduce them. One way to accomplish this is by adding plants to dwelling spaces which has shown to greatly decrease the level of air pollutants. Formaldehyde, acetone, styrene, 2-methylbutane, and toluene are examples of some VOCs that have shown to cause serious health effects. This study sought to determine the health effects and levels of these VOCs and determined if their levels decreased after the addition of indoor plants.
Sigma Membership
Beta Phi
Lead Author Affiliation
The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Indoor Plants, Volatile Organic Compounds, Sick Building Syndrome
Recommended Citation
Vazquez, Kelly and Adams, Lydia, "The level of volatile organic compounds exposure in new buildings: Can adding indoor potted plants reduce exposure?" (2024). Leadership. 87.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/leadership/2014/posters/87
Conference Name
Leadership Summit 2014
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2014
Rights Holder
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The level of volatile organic compounds exposure in new buildings: Can adding indoor potted plants reduce exposure?
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
According to Florence Nightingale, the connection between health and the dwelling of the population is one of the most important that exists. In the United States, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors with a typical work week consisting of 40 to 50 hours, frequently exposing them to indoor air pollutants, some of which can be harmful to the human body. These indoor air pollutants, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), have been found to be much higher in new buildings. Research shows that VOCs can cause acute and chronic health effects (e.g., headaches, genotoxicity, CNS depression, cancer, and congenital abnormalities) making discovering ways to reduce the amount of VOCs in the workplace critical. It is vital as nurses to educate patients on harmful chemicals and ways to find efficient, cost effective ways to reduce them. One way to accomplish this is by adding plants to dwelling spaces which has shown to greatly decrease the level of air pollutants. Formaldehyde, acetone, styrene, 2-methylbutane, and toluene are examples of some VOCs that have shown to cause serious health effects. This study sought to determine the health effects and levels of these VOCs and determined if their levels decreased after the addition of indoor plants.