Clearing the air: the hidden wonders of indoor plants
Much of the research this article is based on has been funded by various bodies associated with the nursery industry, including Ambius, The Interior Plantscapers’ Association, Horticulture Australia Limited and the Dutch Flower Foundation.
It may come as a surprise but air pollution levels indoors are almost always higher than outside, even in busy city centres. Even more surprising is that indoor plants have the ability to mitigate high levels of most airborne contaminants.
Ventilation systems constantly “refresh” buildings with air from outdoors after a filtration process that removes some large particles, such as pollen, from it. Once inside, this air is augmented by a large range of indoor-sourced pollutants.
Volatile organic compounds are petrochemical vapours that are “outgassed” or continuously liberated from building materials, such as paint and carpet, as well as furnishings, plastics and electronic equipment. In high concentrations, many of these agents are acutely toxic and carcinogenic. Some even disrupt the endocrine systems of animals.
Up to 900 different compounds have been detected in some buildings. The most commonly found ones include benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene.
