Green Walls in Offices Have a Positive Impact on Skin and Immune Health
Sourced from Technology Networks
The experimental study led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) showed that air-circulating green walls installed inside offices modified microbiota affecting employees’ skin health and enhanced the immune system’s regulation. Effects could already be seen during one month.
It is estimated that one out of five people living in the developed countries suffers from autoimmune disorders, such as allergies, atopy, type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases. The resulting costs for society are estimated at more than a hundred billion euros per year.
A recent study shows that green walls installed inside offices diversify employees’ skin microbiota. Diverse skin microbiota has been inversely associated with atopy in earlier studies. “Based on our results, green walls offer ideal solutions in workplaces and other indoor areas to balance people’s regular microbiota. Even though it is often necessary to medically treat autoimmune disorders, it would be important to enhance the prevention of these disorders and alleviate symptoms through contact with nature. This is the first study in which the addition of plants indoors is shown to be linked not only to microbiota, but also to immune regulation,” says Laura Soininen, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, commenting on the study published in Scientific Reports.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
