Plants not only breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, they also do a remarkably good job of absorbing harmful chemicals from the air. A peace lily, for example, removes acetone, ammonia, benzene, ethyl acetate, for-maldehyde, methyl alcohol, tricholoethylene, xylene, n-hexane and toluene — all gases harmful to humans.
Scientists learned this from experiments done by NASA looking for ways to purify air in space flights.
An article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal reports that English Ivy, the Flamingo Flower, Mother-in-law’s Tongue, Asparagus Fern and several other easy-to-find houseplants filter out harmful chemicals and common dust, as well.
Not instantly, but within a matter of weeks, houseplants will make the air in a room or office safer to breathe.
To put numbers on the experiments, researchers discovered that six or more plants in a house with 1,200 to 1,500 square feet of floor area will reduce contaminants measurably.
They look nice, too.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
