Abstract
The effect of three phyto modules – different combinations of indoor plants with the pronounced phytoncide activity – on the qualitative and quantitative composition of microflora in the air and on a decrease in the risk of acute respiratory diseases (ARD) in children was studied during autumn and winter in 2018-2020 in child care preschool institutions. Sanitary descriptive, epidemiological, sanitary bacteriological and statistical methods were involved. Observation revealed higher attendance rate in the observation group, in combination with lower recorded incidence of disease in comparison with the reference group. The fraction of facultative microflora (FM) with respect to the total microbial count (TMC) was about 30 % in the rooms equipped with phyto modules, while the ratio was 60% in the rooms without plants. The degree of antimicrobial activity depended on the assortment of plants and on the total leaf area per unit room volume. The phytoncide effect of the plants was traced to the most remote point of the room under investigation – 3 m. A favorable factor was an increase in the relative air humidity from 26 to 40%.
Highlights
The problem of the microbial contamination of indoor air in the child care facilities remains urgent in spite of advanced engineering measures, in particular up-to-date ventilation systems
We studied the plants with high all-year-round antimicrobial activity of their volatile emissions against facultative microflora excluding the plants with allergizing action and toxic sap
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the composition of air microflora was carried out using standard differential diagnostic nutrition media, inoculation methods and the procedures for calculating the fraction of facultative microflora (FM) with respect to total microbial count (TMC) [8]
Summary
The problem of the microbial contamination of indoor air in the child care facilities remains urgent in spite of advanced engineering measures, in particular up-to-date ventilation systems This problem became determinative for health risks under the conditions of COVID-19 pandemic. The use of phyto modules, or sets of indoor plants with environment-improving properties, in child care facilities may become a promising tool to decrease the risks for children’s health [5] It has been confirmed in the world practice that plant exo-metabolites, in addition to their sanifying action, promote enhancement of the immunological response and reconstructive processes in the tissues in the case of cold-related diseases [6,7]
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