Source: Food and Our HealthThe average person is estimated to spend 90% of his or her time indoors. Unfortunately, poor indoor air quality is a reality that is very concerning – the EPA has found that indoor air can be 2-5 times worse than outdoor air. The good news is there are ways we can improve the quality of our indoor air. An easy and beautiful way to clean our indoor air is by having houseplants. It is common knowledge that houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Did you know that many common houseplants remove harmful pollutants such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air? These chemicals can commonly be found in the carpets and furniture we have in our homes. They can also be found in the household cleaning products and paper towels we use. The scary part is that these chemicals have been linked to diseases such as cancer and asthma. I shudder when I think of how many times I’ve used a damp paper towel to clean the hands and mouths of my 3 little ones.

So which plants should we have in our homes? Lucky for us, it is no secret. In the late 1980s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) conducted a 2 year study to determine which plants are the most effective in purifying the air. To significantly improve your indoor air quality, the study recommends having at least 15 of these houseplants for the average 2,000 square foot home. Ideally, each plant should be grown in a 6 inch container or larger. These plants will likely be readily available in your local nursery. Also, most of them are pretty easy to grow plants. I personally have several dracaena varieties as well as a weeping fig and I can tell you they are really easy to grow. They aren’t what I would call ‘finicky’ plants. But don’t take my word for it, try them out for yourselves! Nadia Ameri of the blog Love, Live and Garden is a psychologist turned blogger who aims to provide information on simple and fun ways to incorporate nature into everyday life.

JOIN THE MAMAVATION COMMUNITY! STAY UP TO DATE ON HEALTH ISSUES IMPACTING YOUR FAMILY BioTwitterFacebookGoogle+Latest Posts Stonyfield GrassFed Twitter Party What is a Twitter Party and How do I Attend One? Made Safe Twitter PartyThe air quality in your home is of utmost importance. Modern homes and businesses emit gases and expose us to chemicals, fumes, toxins, smoke, viruses, and bacteria with all kinds of adverse consequences.air duct dryer vent cleaning Indoor air on average, is 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoors. clean air vehicle stickers caIn the Western world we spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors.electronic air cleaner toronto Especially children seem to suffer from poor indoor air quality and incidence of asthma and allergies is skyrocketing especially in urban areas.

It is said that house plants can significantly reduce the amount of pollutants in the indoor environment. Which, on itself, sounds very plausible. After all plants, by photosynthesis, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen to the air and it’s not for no reason that the Amazonian rainforest is are called ‘the lungs of the world’. Also, the use of plants could be very beneficial since air purifiers and filtration systems are not able to filter all indoor air pollutants But do plants really clean the air in our homes? And if so, how substantial is their contribution? How effective are housep plants at purifying the air in our homes? As is often the case there’s some good and some bad news. Let’s see what studies and other scientific research has to say. Here’s a critical look at the benefits of house plants when it comes to purifying the air in our homes. Studies show that plants can offer a natural and benign way to assist the filtration of indoor air.

Plants can remove toxicants and absorb pollutants by metabolizing them into harmless byproducts and by isolating them via incorporating them into plant tissues. However, not all plants are equally beneficial when it comes to removing harmful airborne substances. Also it is not clear if all toxins can be removed by plants. And there are some limitations. That’s why scientists conclude that: “It is not yet possible to project the true potential of plants for purifying indoor air,”  “At this time the role of plants, though appearing [generally] positive, is not totally clear.” said Stanley J. Kays, University of Georgia Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within buildings and structures, as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. IAQ can be affected by many things, to include: ●    Gases (such as carbon monoxide, radon, and volatile organic compounds [VOCs]) ●    Microbial contaminants (molds and bacteria)

●    Stressors that can induce adverse health conditions. The primary methods of controlling IAQ in most buildings include source control, filtration, and the use of ventilation to dilute contaminants. Let’s say, taking the limitations in account, you will use plants for their purifying properties. Which types are best? In studies houseplants were assessed on their ability to clean indoor air based on the following criteria: Table 1 lists the top-ten plants beneficial for cleaning indoor air, based on a study involving 50 different plant species. Top-Ten             Houseplant Air Cleaners Source: (Zhang, Jensen, Wang, Zhiqiang, & Ren, Dacheng, 2010, December). Some plants are more efficient at removing certain chemicals from the air than others. Ferns had the highest formaldehyde-removal efficiency of all the plants tested, especially Osmunda japonica, commonly known as Japanese royal fern, or zenmai.12 As usual, there’s a downside.

A 2009 study by Kays et al showed that some houseplants as well as the plastic pots, the soil, the microorganisms present, and the pesticides used for growing, may possibly contaminate the air in our homes with VOCs.16 Placing potted plants around a room may have little beneficial effects, as the leaves of the plants have a limited ability to absorb large-quantities of contaminants. The effectiveness of DBAF and the biowall bore fruit when ambient air in a room passed over the roots of the plants so the microbes which inhabit the root-zone could be used to metabolize contaminants. Though studies have shown that systems like DBAF and the biowall can work, further consideration may be necessary before such methods can be adopted for wide spread general use. Furthermore, additional study is needed on microbial contaminant degradation of airborne contaminants using these methods. It is been shown that root-microbes can metabolize formaldehyde, but more study is needed for the different VOCs and the rates of metabolic-reduction which can be expected.