Air pollutants found in the home, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause many types of sickness. VOC’s are everywhere, and are a result of slow emissions from synthetic household materials and products. A large number of these chemicals can cause allergic reactions, as well as cancer and other forms of illness as well. Indoor air is likely to be five to seven times more polluted than outdoor air, because indoor air is stale and toxins accumulate, with or without air-conditioning.
Famous research by Dr. Wolverton, an environmental scientist employed by NASA has shown that common plants can cleanse the air of the nastiest of VOCs. In 1973 NASA found over 300 VOCs in the Skylab III space station. When these chemicals are trapped without circulation, asa waas the case with the Skylab, the inhabitants become ill. Around the same time in the 1970s building construction baecame focused on energy efficiency, and one of the best ways to achieve this was to make the buildings as air tigaht as possible. Combining this with the use of modern synthetic materials, toxins became concentrated making people sick and giving rise to the phenomenon known as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). In 1983 the United States EPA found more than 350 VOCs in homes for the elderly in Washington, DC. The EPA has done more studies since and now ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five threats to public health.
Dr. Wolverton’s solution to this dilemma was “If man is to move into closed environments, on Earth or in space, he must take along nature’s life support system.” One of the NASA experiments testing this solution was the Bio Home, a sealed building made entirely from synthetic materials. Before plants were added, people who lived in the Bio Home would experience burning eyes and respiratory problems. After plants were added, analysis indicated that most of the VOCs disappeared, and the symptoms disappeared. Of the hundreds of toxic chemicals found indoors, NASA focused on three, formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene (TCE), because they were most commonly found, and in greatest concentrations.
The chemical with the highest incidence of indoor exposure is formaldehyde. It is found in foam insulation, particle board or pressed wood products, plastic bags, household cleaning agents, cigarette smoke, natural gas, kerosene, waxed papers, tissues and paper towels. Formaldehyde is also used as a stiffener, water repellant, fire retardant, and adhesive binder in floor coverings, carpet, and permanent-press clothes. Benzene is a commonly used solvent and is found in many items such as gasoline, oils, inks, paints, dyes, detergents, pharmaceuticals plastics and rubber. It can also make its way into buildings from outside traffic pollution. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is the third chemical NASA focused on. It is used in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes and adhesives. All of these three chemicals are considered carcinogenic (cancer causing). Symptoms from exposure can include irritation to the eyes, dry nose and throat, headache, lethargy, nausea, migraine, and diseases of the blood system. Benzene has been shown to cause mutations in cells and in animal tests inhalation led to diseases of the blood and lymphatic systems.
Plants are the key to purifying the air you breathe indoors. They will filter out the three toxins mentioned as well as carbon monoxide. The chemicals are metabolized and converted into food for the plant. Micro organisms in the soil also filter toxic chemicals. Plant filtered rooms have 50 to 60 percent less airborne microbes, such as mold spores, dust and bacteria than similar rooms without plants (B.C. Wolverton and J.D. Wolverton, “Interior Plants: Their Influence on Airborne Microbes Inside Energy-Efficient Buildings, Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Science, 1996, 41(3):99-105.)
Only recently have physicians begun to associate the increase in respiratory problems with exposure to poor indoor air quality. Plants also have a beneficial psychological effect on humans. Research has found that people recover from illness faster in the presence of plants Dr. Lohr from Washington found that houseplants can reduce human stress and increase productivity (Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 1996, 14(2):97-100).
Some of the best air filtering plants discovered by Dr. Wolverton are Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum), Mother-in-laws tongue (Sansevieria,) Aglaonema, Philodendron and Tri colour ( Dracaena). The aforementioned plants are very available in Bali. Epipremnum, Sansevieria, Aglaonema and Philodendron are low light plants as well as some Dracaena species. These plants are very attractive (see the picture), and easy to care for, whilst also filtering the air in your living or working space. For plants to be used indoors they must be shade loving, or at least be able to tolerate a shady environment. By introducing any sort of plant indoors, you are going to achieve a better level of air quality. One or two plants in an average sized room will be enough. Add them to your home or office, they will not only bring nature inside, they will make your environment healthier too!
If you are interested in finding out more about the Dr. Wolverton study, look for his book “How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office.” In it, he explains, how plants pull contaminated air down around the roots, where it is then converted into food for the plant. The book has been translated into 12 languages. There is a list for the top 50 plants he recommends. They are rated based on their removal of chemical vapors and their ease of care. If you can’t find the book or would like a copy of the top 50 list please email me. And you thought that all that plants did was produce life giving oxygen!
