Houseplants and Pollution
Indoor
air can be 12 times more polluted than outdoor air.
Sources
of Chemical Emissions
There are many sources that emit chemicals pretty
much everything does, some of these may surprise you. Common Chemical Emissions
Research published in the August 2009 issue of
HortScience, researchers at the University of Georgia screened indoor plants
for their pollutant removal efficiency. They tested 28 common plants on
how efficient they removed common pollutants. Researchers conducted the study
by removing the plants from pots, cleaning off the soil and placing them into
covered glass containers where they could introduce measured/controllable
quantities of the pollutants. They tested to see how much of each chemical had
been removed at 3 and 6-hour intervals.
Below are the results with scientific name,
common name and toxicity checked with the ASPCA Website
The plants
with the highest removal efficiency:
Hemigraphis alternata (The Purple Waffle Plant)(Non-Toxic to pets)
Hedera helix (English ivy)(Toxic)
Tradescantia pallida (Wander jew/ Purple Heart)(May Cause
Allergic Reactions to Pets
Asparagus densiflorus (Asparagus Fern)( may
cause irritation to the gastrointestinal tract)
Hoya carnosa (Avoid if allergic to latex)
Medium Removal Efficiency
Ficus Benjamina (Weeping Fig) (Contains Irritating Sap)
Polyscias fruticosa (Panax)(Toxic)
Fittonia argyroneura (nerve plant)(Non-Toxic)
Sansevieria trifasciata (Snake Plant, Mother-in-laws
tongue)(Toxic)
Guzmania sp. (a bromeliad) (Non-Toxic)
Anthurium andreanum (Flamingo Plant)(Toxic)
Schefflera elegantissima (syn., Dizygotheca elegentissima)
(Aralia)(Non-Toxic)
Low Removal Efficiency
Peperomia clusifolia (Non-Toxic)
Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant)(Non-Toxic)
Howea belmoreana (a type of Kentia palm) (Non-Toxic)
Spathiphyllum wallisii (peace lily)(Toxic)
Schefflera arboricola (Dwarf Umbrella Tree) (Toxic)
Codiaeum variegatum (croton)(minor toxin-Not deadly)
Calathea roseopicta (Non-Toxic)
Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant)(Non-Toxic)
Maranta leuconeura (Prayer Plant)(Non-Toxic)
Dracaena fragrans (Corn Plant)(Toxic)
Ficus elastica (rubber plant)
Dieffenbachia seguine (Dieffenbachia amoena)(Dumbcane)(Toxic)
Philodendron scandens ssp. Oxycardium (Heart Leaf
Philodendron)(Toxic)
Syngonium podophyllum(Arrow Head) (Toxic)
Epipremnum aureum ( Pothos)(Toxic)
Pelargonium graveolens (rose geranium)
Best Plants for Removing Individual Pollutants (in descending
order of effectiveness):
Benzene: Purple
Waffle Plant, Wandering Jew, Ivy, Nerve Plant, Asparagus Fern, and Hoya
carnosa
Toluene: Purple
Waffle Plant, Wandering Jew, Ivy, Nerve Plant, Hoya carnosa, and Ficus
Benjamina (These plants were more effective at removing toluene than benzene.)
Octane: Purple
Waffle Plant, Ivy, Ficus Benjamina, Hoya carnosa, Asparagus Fern, Polyscias
fruticosa
Trichloroethylene(TCE Purple Waffle
Plant, Wandering Jew, Ivy, Nerve Plant, Hoya carnosa, Spider Plant
(This plant had an intermediate TCE removal efficiency).
a-Pinene: Ivy, Purple
Waffle Plant, Asparagus Fern, Wandering Jew, Ficus Benjamina, Hoya carnosa,
Polyscias fruticosa.
Houseplants removal
of Formaldehyde (Most to Least)
·
Boston Fern
·
Florists Mum
·
Gerbera Daisy
·
Dwarf Date Palm\
·
Dracaena Janet Craig
·
Bamboo Palm
·
Kimberly Qween Fern
·
Rubber Plant
·
English Ivy
·
Weeping Fig
·
Peace Lily
·
Areca Palm
·
Corn Plant
·
Lady Palm
·
Parlor Palm
·
Chinese Evergreen
·
Spider Plant
·
Elephant Ear Philodendron
·
Golden Pothos
·
Prayer Plant
·
Arrowhead Vine
·
Heart Leaf Philodendron
·
Croton
·
Snake Plant
·
Aloe Vera
Information From Tropicalplantsociety.org
