Based on preliminary evaluations... the use of common indoor
plants for indoor air purification and revitalization, ALCA joined NASA to fund a study of about a dozen popular varieties of ornamental
plants to determine their effectiveness in removing several key pollutants associated with indoor air pollution.
Each
plant type was placed in sealed, plexiglass chambers in which chemicals were injected. Philodendron, Spider
plant and the Golden pothos were labeled as the most effective in removing formaldehyde. Flowering
plants such as the Gerbera daisy and Chrysanthemums were rated superior in removing benzene from the chamber atmosphere.
Other
plants demonstrated to be effective air purifiers include the Bamboo palm, Peace
lily, Ficus, Dracaena massangeana cane, Mother-in-Law's tongue (Sanseveria), English Ivy and Chinese evergreen species.
"
plants take substances out of the air through the tiny openings in their leaves", Wolverton said. "But research in our laboratories has determined that
plant leaves, roots and soil bacteria are all important in removing trace levels of toxic vapors"
