Main Article Content

Наталья Федоровна Чуенко
Ирина Игоревна Новикова
Олег Андреевич Савченко

Abstract

Indoor air pollution in preschool educational institutions is a serious and often underestimated problem that poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of millions of preschool children worldwide. Modern scientific research indicates that indoor air quality significantly affects children's health.
The aim of the study – to study the effect of indoor plant compositions on air quality and children's health in preschool institutions.
Materials and methods. As part of the study, indoor plant compositions were selected for installation in pre-school institutions, and the dynamics of the content of microorganisms in the air of group rooms was assessed. Air sampling was carried out by the aspiration method. Monitoring of the microclimatic parameters of the air environment in the pre-school premises was carried out before and after the installation of indoor plant compositions using the EClerk-M-RHT Loger measuring device. The analysis of data on the incidence and attendance of children in preschool institutions was carried out during a period characterized by an increase in epidemic morbidity.
Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using the software packages STATISTICA-10.0 and Microsoft Excel. ANOVA analysis of variance was used for the analysis. The differences were considered significant at p = 0.05.
The results. The results of the experiment demonstrate the positive effect of plants on the content of active volatile organic compounds released by plants and on the microbiological composition of the air. There was an increase in attendance and a decrease in acute respiratory diseases (ARDS) in the observation group with established plants, compared with the control group. In addition, the effect of the leaf surface area of plants on the relative humidity in the group cell of the DOE was established. These results substantiate the expediency of using plants for preventive purposes in preschool institutions.
Conclusion. The use of a composition of plants with pronounced antimicrobial activity led to an increase in the relative humidity of the air in the closed rooms of the preschool, which depended on the assortment and total leaf area per unit volume of the room, which improved air quality and children's health.

Keywords

closed pre-school facilities, children, morbidity, air quality, indoor plants, health

Author Biographies

Наталья Федоровна Чуенко,
postgraduate student; researcher of the department of toxicology with sanitary and chemical laboratory
Ирина Игоревна Новикова,
doctor of medical sciences, professor, director
Олег Андреевич Савченко,
candidate of biological sciences, leading researcher of the department of toxicology with sanitary chemical laboratory

Article Details

Information about financing and conflict of interests

The study had no sponsorship.
The authors declare that they have no apparent or potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

How to Cite

Чуенко, Н. Ф., Новикова, И. И., & Савченко, О. А. (2025). THE IMPACT OF INDOOR PLANTS ON AIR QUALITY AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. Medicine in Kuzbass, 24(3), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.24412/2687-0053-2025-3-35-42

References

Chuenko NF. Air pollution in preschool institutions. Education, upbringing and pedagogy: traditions, experience, innovations: collection of articles of the V All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference, Penza, April 05, 2021. Penza, 2021. P. 29-31. Russian (Чуенко Н.Ф. Загрязнение воздушной среды в дошкольных учреждениях //Образование, воспитание и педагогика: традиции, опыт, инновации: сб. статей V Всерос. науч.-практ. конф., Пенза, 05 апреля 2021 года. Пенза, 2021. С. 29-31)

Grimsrud D, Bridges B, Schulte R. Continuous measurements of air quality parameters in schools. Building research and information. 2006; 34(5): 447-458. doi: 10.1080/09613210600808880

Parinduri RA. Do children spend too much time in schools? Evidence from a longer school year in Indonesia. Economics of Education Review. 2014; 41: 89-104. doi: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.05.001

Baloch RM, Maesano CN, Christoffersen J, Banerjee S, Gabriel M, Csobod É. Indoor air pollution, physical and comfort parameters related to schoolchildren's health: Data from the European SINPHONIE study. Science of the Total Environment. 2020; 739: 139870. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139870

Salthammer T, Uhde E, Schripp T, Schieweck A, Morawska L, Mazaheri M, et al. Children's well-being at schools: Impact of climatic conditions and air pollution. Environment international. 2016; 94: 196-210. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.009

Wargocki P, Salazar P, Espinoza S, Bahnfleth WP. The relationships between classroom air quality and children’s performance in school. Building and Environment. 2020; 173: 106749. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106749

Choo CP, Jalaludin J. An overview of indoor air quality and its impact on respiratory health among Malaysian school-aged children. Reviews on Environmental Health. 2015; 30(1): 9-18. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2014-0065

Chithra VS., Nagendra SMS. A review of scientific evidence on indoor air of school building: Pollutants, sources, health effects and management. Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment. 2018; 12(2): 87-108. doi: 10.5572/ajae.2018.12.2.87

Lu KH, Vu DC, Nguyen QT, Vo XT. Volatile organic compounds in primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: characterization and health risk assessment. Atmosphere. 2021; 12(11): 1421. doi: 10.3390/atmos12111421

Kim JL, Elfman L, Mi Y, Wieslander G, Smedje G, Norbäck D. Indoor molds, bacteria, microbial volatile organic compounds and plasticizers in schools: associations with asthma and respiratory symptoms in pupils. Indoor air. 2007; 17(2): 153-163. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2006.00466.x

Johnson DL, Lynch A, Floyd EL, Wang J, Bartels JN. Indoor air quality in classrooms: Environmental measures and effective ventilation rate modeling in urban elementary schools. Building and Environment. 2018; 136: 185-197. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.03.040

Kapalo P, Mečiarová Ľ, Vilčeková S, Burdová E, Domnita F, Bacotiu C, Péterfi K-E. Investigation of CO2 production depending on physical activity of students. Int J Environ Health Res. 2019; 29(1): 31-44. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2018.1506570

Vouriot CVM, Burridge HC, Noakes CJ, Linden PF. Seasonal variation in airborne infection risk in schools due to changes in ventilation inferred from monitored carbon dioxide. Indoor air. 2021; 31(4): 1154-1163, doi: 10.1111/ina.12818

Kalimeri KK, Saraga DE, Lazaridis VD, Legkas NA, Missia DA, Tolis EI, et al. Indoor air quality investigation of the school environment and estimated health risks: Two-season measurements in primary schools in Kozani, Greece // Atmospheric Pollution Research. 2016; 7(6): 1128-1142. doi: 10.1016/j.apr.2016.07.002

Turunen M, Toyinbo O, Putus T, Nevalainen A, Shaughnessy R, Haverinen-Shaughnessy U. Indoor environmental quality in school buildings, and the health and wellbeing of students. International journal of hygiene and environmental health. 2014; 217(7): 733-739. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2014.03.002

Viegas C, Veríssimo C, Rosado L, Santos CS. Air fungal contamination in two elementary schools in Lisbon, Portugal. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment. 2010; 136: 305-312

Novikova II, Chuenko NF. The role of indoor plants in disease prevention (on the example of preschool educational organizations). Current issues of hygiene and prevention: Collection of articles of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference. Omsk: Omsk Humanitarian Academy, 2024. P. 125-131. Russian (Новикова И.И., Чуенко Н.Ф. Роль комнатных растений в профилактике заболеваний (на примере дошкольных образовательных организаций) //Актуальные вопросы гигиены и профилактики: Сб. статей Всерос. науч.-практ. конф. Омск: Омская гуманитарная академия, 2024. С. 125-131)

Chuenko NF, Novikova II, Lobkis MA. Transpiratory, phytoncidal and gas-absorbing properties of indoor plants and their role in improving the quality of the air environment in preschool organizations. Human ecology. 2023; 10-1: 759-769. Russian (Чуенко Н.Ф., Новикова И.И., Лобкис М.А. Транспирирующие, фитонцидные и газопоглотительные свойства комнатных растений и их роль в улучшении качества воздушной среды в дошкольных организациях //Экология человека. 2023. № 10-1. С. 759-769. doi: 10.17816/humeco609574

Wolverton BC, Johnson A, Bounds K. (1989). Interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement. Final Report, NASA

Ren C, Cao SJ, Haghighat F. A practical approach for preventing dispersion of infection disease in naturally ventilated room. Journal of Building Engineering. 2022; 48: 103921. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103921

Ding E, Zhang D, Bluyssen PM. Ventilation regimes of school classrooms against airborne transmission of infectious respiratory droplets: a review. Building and Environment. 2022; 207: 108484. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108484

Sadrizadeh S, Yao R, Yuan F, Awbi H, Bahnfleth W, Bi Y, et al. Indoor air quality and health in schools: A critical review for developing the roadmap for the future school environment. Journal of Building Engineering. 2022; 57: 104908. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104908

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Most read articles by the same author(s)