Anatomy & Physiology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0940
ISSN: 2161-0940
Department of Exercise and Health Science, Willamette University, Salem Oregon 97302, United States
Research Article
Reduced Formaldehyde Exposure with the Addition of Plants (Chlorophytum comosum) in the Human Anatomy Laboratory
Author(s): Emma Blackburn, Todd Melgreen and Lucas Ettinger*
Exposure to plants has been shown to remove specific airborne pollutants and carcinogens, reduce stress and improve productivity in the workplace. This study investigates the effect of plant exposure on air quality, student anxiety (STAI) and performance test scores in a cadaver laboratory at a small liberal arts college. Undergraduate Human Anatomy students were randomly assigned plant and control (no-plant) exposure in the human cadaver laboratory. Air quality marked improvements with reductions of nearly half the total Short Term Exposure Limits (15-Minute STEL) to formaldehyde (p < 0.01). No significant differences between plant exposure or laboratory sections were detected for Acute STAI (P=0.35), General STAI (P=0.71) or for practical testing performance (P=0.28). A high degree of variability in student qualitative responses and laboratory testing performance likely contribut.. View More»
DOI:
10.35248/2161-0940.23.13.416