在室内种花草可以吸收空气中对健康不利的有机化合物，但美国的一项最新研究显示，有些室内植物会释放挥发性有机化合物。这类有机化合物是否对人体有害仍有待进一步研究。
美国佐治亚大学的研究人员日前报告说，他们对4种室内植物——白鹤芋、虎尾兰、垂叶榕和槟榔树进行了观察研究，发现这些植物都会释放挥发性有机化合物，杀虫剂、土壤和制作花盆的塑料是造成植物释放有机化合物的原因。
研究人员将这4种植物放置在玻璃容器内，并在容器的进风口安装了木炭过滤器，在出风口安装了测量仪器，这种测量仪器能检测到植物释放的挥发性有机化合物。
结果发现，这4种植物都会释放挥发性有机化合物，其中白鹤芋放出的最多，虎尾兰最少。此外，这些植物在白天释放的有机化合物较多，夜间较少。
报告指出，已有实验显示，这些植物释放的有机化合物中的某些成分对动物健康不利。但研究人员说，为弄清这些植物释放的有机化合物是否会对人体造成伤害，他们还需进行更多的研究。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
HortScience, April 2009; 44: 396 - 400.
Volatile Organic Compounds Emanating from Indoor Ornamental Plants
Dong Sik Yang
Department of Horticultural Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7273
Ki-Cheol Son
Department of Environmental Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Korea
Stanley J. Kays1
Department of Horticulture, The Plant Center, 1111 Plant Sciences Building, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7273
A broad cross-section of volatiles emanating from four species of popular indoor ornamental plants (Spathiphyllum wallisii Regel, Sansevieria trifasciata Prain, Ficus benjamina L., and Chrysalidocarpus lutescens Wendl.) was identified and categorized based on source. Volatile organic compounds from individual plants were obtained using a dynamic headspace system and trapped on Tenax TA during the day and again at night. Using short-path thermal desorption and cryofocusing, the volatiles were transferred onto a capillary column and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. The volatiles originated from the plants, media/micro-organisms, pot, and pesticides. A total of 23, 12, 13, and 16 compounds were identified from S. wallisii, S. trifasciata, F. benjamina, and C. lutescens, respectively. The night emanation rate was substantially reduced (i.e., by 30.1%, 69.5%, 73.7%, and 63.1%, respectively) reflecting in part the regulation of biosynthesis and the greater diffusion resistance when the stomata were closed. S. wallisii had the highest emanation rate, releasing 15 terpenoid compounds [e.g., linaloloxide, linalool, (Z)-β-farnesene, farnesal, (+)--cadinene, (+)-β-costol] into the surrounding air. Alpha-farnesene (90.3%) was quantitatively the dominant volatile present followed by (Z)-β-farnesene (1.4%), (+)-β-costol (1.4%), and farnesal (1.1%). Substantially fewer terpenoids (i.e., two, nine, and eight) emanated from S. trifasciata, F. benjamina, and C. lutescens, which quantitatively emitted fewer volatiles than S. wallisii. Most terpenoids from the four species were sesquiterpenes rather than monoterpenes. Methyl salicylate, a plant-signaling compound, was emitted by all four species. Certain volatiles (e.g., 2-chlorobenzonitrile, 1-ethyl-3,5-dimethylbenzene) were released from growth media and/or micro-organisms therein; other sources included the plastic pot (e.g., 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, octamethyl cyclotetrasiloxane) and pesticide ingredients [e.g., 2-(2-methoxy- ethoxy)ethanol, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate].
