Indoor Air Pollution and Plants

Our home is our sanctuary - it is where we go when the weather is too hot or cold, or when we need to find rest and peace. However, did you know that our home-sanctuary could be unsafe? In fact, it could be harming our bodies more than we ever realized.

NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) tested ‘Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement,’ concentrating on solving whether indoor air pollution was a realistic threat to human health or not, and how it could be solved. Plants, being both economical and a promising solution were used first in the experiment.

There are THREE main chemicals in the air which have been proven harmful:

Benzene
Trichlorethylene
Formaldehyde


Benzene (B): a commonly used solvent in items such as gasoline, inks, oils, paint, plastic and rubber. It is used in the manufacture of detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and dyes.

Formaldehyde (F): found in virtually all indoor environments. Sources (some with more Formaldehyde than others) include urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle board, pressed-wood products, consumer paper products (including grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue, paper towels, etc.), and many household cleaning agents.

Trichloroethylene (T): is a commercial product that has a wide variety of industrial uses. It is used in some printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes and adhesives.

According to the NASA/ALC research, the following plants are great for purifying indoor air. Notice the corresponding letters (B,F,T) associated with each plant that explains which chemical the plant successfully cleans from the air.



Gerbera daisy (Transvaal daisy) (T, B)

Dracaena Marginata (T, F)

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) (T, B, F)

Dracaena 'Janet Craig' (T, F)

Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifritzii) (B, F)

Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum) (B)
Dracaena Warneckei (B)

English Ivy (B)

Mother-in-law's Tongue (Sansevieria laurentii) (B, F)

Green Spider Plant (F)

Golden Pathos (F)