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Benefits
The Power of Plants
Damaging pollutants assault us
every day. Where we live and where we work. Toxic chemicals used in
manufacturing seep out of everything from carpeting, upholstery, foam
insulation and pressed-wood products. It doesn't stop there, also included are
cigarettes, permanent press clothes, paint, plastic, synthetic fibers, printing
inks and dry-cleaning. But now plants are a proven way to reduce those levels
of indoor pollutants in homes and offices, particularly in the sick buildings
with permanently sealed windows.
A new study has found that about half of the carbon dioxide
emitted by burning fossil fuels is absorbed by (exterior) plants in the
Northern Hemisphere,
showing that plants play a role about equal to that of oceans,
to which most of the absorption had previously been attributed.
The New York Times
An easy way to improve air
quality is to add plants .Houseplants are especially
effective at cleaning polluted air.
Business Week
. .
. there's a new, improved reason to grow houseplants they can remove
health-threatening pollutants from indoor air.
The
Washington Post
Study
finds plants reduce indoor air pollution
According
to a study by (NASA) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration common
house and office plants can effectively remove the harmful pollutants from
indoor air.
The results of this two-year
study indicate that plants do provide a natural, cost-effective way to clean
indoor air and fight the latest sick building syndrome.
Dr. Bill Wolverton,
senior research scientist at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi,
conducted the study, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution
Abatement, Dr. Wolverton has studied plants and
pollution treatment for 20 years.
The study concentrated on three
of the most common indoor air pollutants: formaldehyde, benzene, and
trichloroethylene. These and other common indoor air pollutants, such as
asbestos, radon, lead and carbon monoxide, are often emitted from furnishings,
office equipment and different types of building materials.
In the study, philodendron,
spider plant and golden Pothos most effectively
removed formaldehyde from the air. Gerber daisies and chrysanthemums
best-removed benzene. Other plants that removed toxic chemicals from the air,
included bamboo palm, peace lily, corn plant, mother-in-law tongue and English
ivy. Virtually all tropical plants are potentially powerful air cleaners. All
green plants produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
People
worry so much about outdoor air, but indoor air may be a far more serious
problem, said Dr. Wolverton. This study demonstrates
that plants are a natural solution to indoor air pollution not just in the
future NASA spaces but in the offices and homes of today.
Dr. Wolverton
has conducted follow-up research to the NASA study, which includes additional
plants and indoor air pollutants. Sick-building syndrome is a result of indoor
air pollution. As many as one in five workers may suffer from the condition. It
can cause discomfort and serious illness, including, respiratory irritation,
dizziness, headaches, skin rashes, nausea and vomiting. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) reports that indoor air pollution represents, a major
portion of the public's exposure to air pollution, and estimates the cost at $1
billion dollars per year in sick leave, lost earnings and low productivity.
FACTS
Plants are Natures
Most Efficient
Environmental Air Cleaner!
The NASA study also proves that
plants are not only beautifying our indoor environment, they make them
healthier to live in .NASA studied the benefits of
plants for use in future space stations and closed environments and concluded
that properly designed interiorscaping can provide an
inexpensive means of removing pollutants from the air in our offices and our
homes.
Indoor air pollution comes from
the various fibers (carpet, fabrics, wall coverings) and solvents (wallboard,
paints varnishes, furniture) we use to build and decorate our homes and
offices. It takes only two potted plants per 100 square feet of floor space to
help clean and refresh the air in the average home or office.
Virtually every tropical plant
and many flowering plants are powerful removers of indoor air pollutants. Below
is a chart of the plants in the NASA study that most effectively removed
pollutants from the air.
Pollutant
|
Source
|
Solution
|
Formaldehyde
|
Foam Insulation
|
Azalea
|
|
|
Clothes
|
Spider plant
|
|
|
Carpeting
|
Golden Pothos
|
|
|
Furniture
|
Bamboo plant
|
|
|
Paper goods
|
Corn plant
|
|
|
Household cleaners
|
Chrysanthemum
|
|
|
Water repellants
|
Mother-in-laws tongue * Poinsettia
|
Benzene
|
Tobacco smoke
|
English Ivy
|
|
|
Gasoline
|
Marginata
|
|
|
Synthetic fibers
|
Janet Craig
|
|
|
Plastics
|
Chrysanthemum
|
|
|
Inks
|
Gerbera daisy
|
|
|
Oils
|
Warneckii
|
|
|
Detergents
|
Peace Lily
|
Trichloroethylene
|
Dry cleaning
|
Gerbera daisy
|
|
|
Inks
|
Chrysanthemum
|
|
|
Paints
|
Peace Lily
|
|
|
Varnishes
|
Warneckii
|
|
|
Lacquers
|
Marginata
|
The
plants listed are by no means the only variety that absorbs harmful household
toxins. NASA continues to study other plants that can be used.
TOUCH OF GREEN
6751 Signat Drive
Houston, TX 77041
email: touchofgreen@email.com
713-861-6918 Fax: 713-466-7335
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