The
interior plants thought to reduce the spread of SARS/COVID-19 due to air purification
are the same plants that were previously tested for filtering interior air in
research;
Lady Palm, Peace Lily, Alii Fig, Weeping Fig, Peace Lily, Areca Palm, Corn Plant, Dumb Cane, Dracaena ‘Warneckii’, Philodendron, Golden Pothos, Arrowhead Vine, Snake Plant, Croton, Umbrella Grass.
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| Snake plant or Sanseveria grown as an interior plant. |
How
Covid-19 Spreads
The
virus can stay for a long time in the air, increasing the need for air
purification as a mitigation method. Primarily transmission occurs within 5–6
days of the infection. COVID-19 patients show symptoms that vary from dry
cough, fever, breathing difficulties, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, sore throat
to severe pneumonia.
The
virus has been shown to spread via three main routes; small aerosols, large airborne
droplets, and close contact with infected surfaces and people. The latter two can be handled via
disinfection of surfaces and the use of proper protective equipment. Small
aerosol droplets, however, are harder to contain and considered the main source
of spread since they travel in the air and remain viable for around 3 hours.
Most respiratory infections are transmitted via respiratory droplets when
coughing and sneezing and then deposited onto surfaces. A recent study was able to detect viral
presence in hospital air samples in isolation rooms. Another study revealed
that more than 60% of the air samples from COVID-19 patient rooms contained the
virus.
Research
Done on Interior Plants That May Lower the Spread of Covid-19
For
all these reasons, air purification is recommended to be used in all public and
private indoor spaces to contain the spread of the virus in areas with poor
ventilation. Air purification via filters, UV radiation and ionization could be
used to clean the air in large companies and facilities. Homes may be a different
matter.
Several
studies have shown that indoor plants enhance air quality, remove pollutants,
and reduce bacterial and fungal infection spread, none of which were on
airborne viruses. The techniques by which plants purify the air are not fully
understood, and limited research information is available discussing their role
in controlling viral transmission. More research is required in the search for
methods of lowering transmission rates as the indoor plants were found to
increase human comfort and enhance overall human health.