Quantification of the health-improving action of phyto modules in the rooms of child care preschool facilities

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%.