Artificial or Natural: Which Tree is Better?

28 octombrie 2025

3 min de lectură

Deschide ghid Deschide colecția Deschide seria

When choosing a Christmas tree, you should think about two aspects: your health and ecology. Ornament carefully weighed all the pros and cons.

Concluzii cheie

When choosing a Christmas tree, you should think about two aspects: your health and ecology.
Real live Christmas tree: pros
Real live Christmas tree: cons

Pentru cine este

Persoane care explorează Healthy lifestyle prin intermediul healthy lifestyle, allergy.

De ce contează

Acest articol te ajută să te orientezi rapid, apoi să treci la o colecție sau serie dacă vrei să continui.

Autorul articolului

Dr. Natalie

General Practitioner, Allergist-Immunologist

Real live Christmas tree: pros

Health benefits. Even though the tree has been cut down, photosynthesis occurs while its needles are still green. Additionally, the tree produces oxygen and beneficial natural oils like phytoncides, which:

Significantly increase the number and activity of natural killer (NK) cells, which fight viral infections and increase the activity of anti-cancer proteins
Reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol to help relax, and improve sleep
Reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue
Lower blood pressure and heart rate

Don't place your Christmas tree near a radiator, fireplace, or heater, and water it regularly. This will help the tree last longer.

Requires fewer resources. It takes about 7 years to grow an average-sized Christmas tree, and as it grows, the trees absorb carbon and use 10 times fewer resources than artificial Christmas tree factories. According to the Christmas Tree Manufacturers Association, 1 to 3 new saplings are planted for every tree cut down each year.

Real live Christmas tree: cons

May cause allergies. People prone to allergies are at high risk of developing symptoms due to Christmas trees, called Christmas Tree Syndrome. This is manifested by redness, itching, tingling skin on the hands, eye irritation, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. The fact is that living trees can carry more than 50 different types of mold and allergens.

For example, the tree sap contains terpenes, which gives the characteristic pine scent of and causes allergy attacks. Dust mites and insect droppings get into the house via real Christmas trees, which can cause a similar reaction. Chemicals, such as organophosphates used as pesticides, provoke coughing and wheezing.

If you are sensitive to mold, suffer from allergies, or have an infant in the house, keep a real tree for no more than 4-7 days.

Contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. After the holidays, Christmas trees accumulate along roads and in landfills, where they produce methane — 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide gas.

Artificial Christmas tree: pros

Artificial trees are comfortable and durable. And, of course, they're a great alternative for Christmas Tree Syndrome caused by pine sap and smell.

In 2018, the American Christmas Tree Association commissioned a study that found that using an artificial Christmas tree for at least 5 years is more environmentally friendly than buying a real one every year.

Artificial Christmas tree: cons

Dust, dirt, mold particles, and any substances in an artificial Christmas tree during the set-up and decorating process can trigger contact dermatitis. This is especially true if there are scratches and abrasions on the skin of the hands.

Most artificial Christmas trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a major phthalate source. Phthalates are extremely detrimental to health because they can migrate from plastic into household dust. PVC is also created in petrochemical plants that pollute the environment.

Artificial spruces have flame retardants added to them to prevent fires. They are also harmful to health.

If you opt for an artificial Christmas tree, choose one made of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). These plastics are safer than PVC.

Disposing of an artificial Christmas tree is very problematic as it can take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill, and the destruction in an incineration plant releases hazardous chemicals.

Weighing the pros and cons, we concluded that live Christmas trees are safer for your health (of course, if you are not allergic to pine needles), and for the environment. But if you do choose an artificial tree, buy one that you will use for many years.

Continuă lectura

Healthy lifestyle#healthy eating

Monosodium Glutamate: Is It Dangerous?

Is monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, safe to eat? There are many questions about MSG, with no unequivocal answer. Ornament has conducted its investigation.

Dr. Serge28 oct. 2025

Healthy lifestyle#teeth

Hollywood Smile: Let’s Whiten It Up

A white-toothed smile makes a person look younger and more attractive. But the natural shade of tooth enamel is far from white. If, for example, your teeth are ivory-colored, you can let your teeth go naturally, or you can go through a whitening procedure. How safe are modern technologies, and is there a risk of grinding your own teeth into powder during this process?

Dr. Helga28 oct. 2025

Allergy#allergy

Food Allergies: Main Questions

Some people's immune system reacts to certain products as poison, releasing histamine and other chemicals. Why do allergies occur? How can someone live with allergies? And how do allergies differ from food intolerances?

Dr. Natalie28 oct. 2025

Allergy#allergy

Mold in the House: What Are the Risks?

In the House MD television series, medical assistants went searching for mold in the houses of the patients every time they demonstrated any strange symptoms. Mold can cause dangerous diseases and should be taken very seriously.

Dr. Helene28 oct. 2025

Instalează Ornament pentru a nu doar citi aceste articole, ci și pentru a-ți urmări sănătatea, a stoca rezultatele analizelor și a accesa alte funcții utile

Instalează Ornament