Environmental Scientists Say Plants DO NOT Purify The Air! I'm Myth Busting

Photo credit: mindfulworld.com

So, I was researching an article on beating the winter blues, which I will post in the nearest future, but in the meantime, I found some other interesting information. So, so many studies have been done on air purification and plants. Some of the studies I have found were done many, many years ago and every single lifestyle blogger keeps on repeating them because the sources are really good; like NASA for example. We know that astronauts do a lot of testing while they're on their missions. We have gained so much vast and valuable knowledge from their testing and that of other scientists doing testing as well. But different data, including environmental, may have impacted changes in the studies.

As I continued to do research, I found newer studies that have been done that completely update that old myth that plants purify the air. As reported in National Geographic Magazine, the Scientists at The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology just got done with a study, they found interesting data.

Photo Credit: The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology

The epidemiology scientists have tested 196 different plants over a full decade and it proved only that in a small chamber with controlled gasses released, that are called Volatile Organic Compounds or (VOCs) for short, removed the compounds in 24 hours, and common ivies removed 2/3 of formaldehyde. But these scientists further state and warn that these studies DO NOT mimic the common home!

To get a better understanding of what took place and in lay-man terms, the scientists concluded that, and not to get too scientific, they converted the common home environment to a (CADR), clean-air delivery rates by standardizing. They could calculate data by running an air purifier or by opening a window. The results were that plants can and do remove VOC's, but it is at an extremely slow rate. To put it in terms of visualization, the scientists used about 10 plants per square foot. So for a home, one would need 5,000 plants for every 500 square feet! That's a lot of plants. So unless you live in a virtual jungle, you won't see any results.

What Do They Suggest

So while they burst a lot of bubbles with this information, the science suggests that we stop pollution first before it gets into our homes. How can that be possible? You can control your environment as much as possible by being mindful of what's actually emitting pollution in the first place, and then removing them.

Here's a couple that homeowners can do: 

*Try to eliminate as many chemical cleaners as possible! They feel that household cleaners put a ton of pollutants into your home environment. Try to seek out "greener" type cleaners.  Try using homemade remedies such as simple vinegar and water solution.

*Eliminate harmful paints in your home. Use paints that have no VOC's.

*Eliminate synthetic coatings on furniture and carpets and rugs. They emit chemicals into the air. Firefighters also believe that furniture that has high chemical content also burns quicker, longer and at a faster rate than furniture and rugs of old. Look for manufacturers that make "greener" household items. If you don't see it, ask. More makers are going away from chemicals. If we as people demand better, they will answer that call.

*Be careful when cooking, even that emits and releases particulate matter into the air. One suggestion was to eliminate Teflon. Using other type pans such as ceramic may help.

*Also, we as citizens can ask more of our cities and countries, to help us by adding pollution abatement measures such as planting a large number of trees each year, adding vegetation walls and embankments where there is a large cluster of pollution.

photo credit: an urban structure covered in plants via guardian.ng

A city vegetation wall photo credit: telegraph.co.uk

Look below at this chart. While we know that plants do remove VOCs from the air but only in huge amounts and plantings, we can still include plants into our home as they do bring in happy feelings and cost is minimal. But they suggest investing in a good air purifier as a home pollution aid.

photo credit: oxygenland.com