Indoor air has been reported to be as much as 12 times more polluted than outdoor air in some areas. In developed countries people often times spend more than 90% of their time indoors.
The study, performed by Stanly J. Kays, Department of Horticulture, at the University of Georgia, was the lead researcher for this study. Mr. Kays tested ornamental indoor plants for their power to remove damaging VOC’s from indoor air.
VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) are organic chemical compounds that have high vapor pressure under normal conditions. This gives VOC’s the ability to vaporize and enter the atmosphere. VOC’s are not recognizable to the human eye; the only way we can distinguish them usually is by our sense of smell.
VOC’s are evident in paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing, solvents, gases, building materials, and even tap water. VOC’s are known to contribute to acute illnesses such as asthma and nausea, chronic diseases like cancer, and neurological, reproductive, developmental, and respiratory disorders. Dangerous indoor pollutants are held accountable for more than 1.6 million deaths each year. (2002 World Health Organization Report)
According to Kay’s findings, some indoor plants have the capability to eliminate unsafe pollutants from the air. The use of indoor plants not only can improve your physical health, but can also improve your psychological health. The addition of plants to your indoor spaces even reduces stress levels and increases your work performance.
The ability of plants to remove VOC’s from the air is called phytoremediation. The research team at the University of Georgia tested 28 common indoor plants. The plants were tested on their ability to remove five dangerous indoor pollutants; benzene, TCE, toluene, octane, and alpha-pinene.
"The VOCs tested in this study can adversely affect indoor air quality and have a potential to seriously compromise the health of exposed individuals," Kays explained. "Benzene and toluene are known to originate from petroleum-based indoor coatings, cleaning solutions, plastics, environmental tobacco smoke, and exterior exhaust fumes emanating into the building; octane from paint, adhesives, and building materials; TCE from tap water, cleaning agents, insecticides, and plastic products; and alpha-pinene from synthetic paints and odorants."
During the study, the plants were grown in a shade house for eight weeks, and then were transferred to average indoor conditions fro twelve weeks. The plants were then placed in glass air-tight jars. While kept in the jars, the plants were exposed to the five pollutants, and then the air samples in the jar were analyzed. The plants were then categorized on their ability to remove the VOC’s from the air; superior, intermediate, and poor.
Of the 28 plant types tested Tradescantia pallida (Purple heart plant), Hemigraphis alternata (purple waffle plant), Hedera helix (English ivy), Hoya carnosa (variegated wax plant), and Asparagus densiflorus (Asparagus fern), had the greatest VOC removal abilities.
Christina,
ReplyDeleteThis concept is so hilarious. It's ridiculous that technology is becoming such a commodity, that if you combine anything with technology, it's an instant sale. We all know that plants increase the air quality by filtering CO2, and this is just a shiny, futuristic looking device to do the same thing.