Common plants remove indoor air pollutants

Commonindoor plants such as purple waffle, English ivy, variegated wax and purpleheart plant have been found tremendously effective in eliminating harmful airpollutants in homes, offices, and other indoor spaces, sayresearchers Indoor air is said to be 12 times more pollutedthan outdoor air due to paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing,solvents, building materials, and even tap water Lead researcherStanley J Kays, Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, tested.theornamental indoor plants for their ability to remove harmful VOCs or volatileorganic compounds from indoor air. These VOCs [including benzene,xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylenechloride] have been shown to cause illnesses in people who are exposed to thecompounds in indoor spaces Adding ornamental plants to indoorspaces can reduce stress, increase task performance, and reduce symptoms of illhealth During the study, the research team tested 28 common indoorornamentals for their ability to remove five volatile indoor pollutants "The VOCs tested in this.study can adversely affect indoor air quality andhave a potential to seriously compromise the health of exposed individuals,"Kays said. "Benzene and toluene are known to originate frompetroleum-based indoor coatings, cleaning solutions, plastics, environmentaltobacco smoke, and exterior exhaust fumes emanating into the building; octanefrom paint, adhesives, and building materials; TCE from tap water, cleaningagents, insecticides, and plastic products; and alpha-pinene from syntheticpaints and odorants," he added These plants were grown in a shadehouse for eight weeks followed be acclimatization for twelve weeks under.indoorconditions before being placed in gas-tight glass jars.