[ad_1]
Trinity College Dublin immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill has said that keeping plants watered indoors could be a defense against the spread of the coronavirus.
He told Pat Kenny that the next fight will be fought in the humidity levels of the rooms.
He explained that viruses travel more easily in dry air than in humid air, and that’s where indoor plants can play their role.
“It turns out that dry air is always bad for us, because viruses love dry air and the common cold spreads in dry air more than in humid air.
“And secondly, if you are in a room and the air is very dry, your nose and upper respiratory tract are dry and viruses love that, they can grab more and get more into your body.”
“That’s why when you go home in winter, these colds and flu spread more, because the air is quite dry, plus there is little ventilation.
“So what this means is … humidity has become a key factor, and the big debate is now changing.”
“Ventilation is important indoors, of course, but you also have to try to keep the relative humidity high because the virus seems to thrive in dry air.
“So what are they going to recommend next, Pat, and this is a strong recommendation, you need to have plants in your room with water, or even a container of water will help keep the air a little humid.
“But the best of all is to buy a humidifier to keep the air humid and that will decrease the spread of the virus.”
“The hottest places are often the most humid, as long as there is water, let’s say this will increase the humidity of the air content, especially if the room is a bit warmer.
“So having a slightly warmer room with a water source on a plant or in a container of water will help keep the air a little humid.”
“When your nose or upper respiratory tract becomes dry, less mucus is produced, which gives you a cold, etc.
“Mucus is a very good way to get rid of viruses, because it catches the virus and then coughs it up.
“By keeping the airways moist and the nose moist, the virus slides off, if you know what I mean, it can’t get in.”
“If it goes down to 20% RH, you’re in trouble; it should be 40% to 60%.
“Ventilation has a huge effect on this, by the way.
“So what’s really happening is the engineers are saying ‘Look, get the ventilation right, but make sure the relative humidity is at a certain level as well.
“And that’s a very good combination, then, to keep a room safe and to prevent this from spreading throughout the room.”
Image principal by Kari Shea from Pixabay
[ad_2]