Indoor Air Quality Cannot Be Improved Using Plants, Research Says

The plants grown inside your houses are not that helpful in shunning the pollutants from your home, according to a recent study. In this research published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, a systematic review of diverse studies was carried out. The aim of this study was inspecting factors associated with indoor air quality, with a key focus on the role of potted plants in volatile organic compound (VOC)’s efficient removal.

Researcher Michael Waring stated, “In order to have a healthy home, one should put efforts to minimize indoor emissions, employ diverse filtration techniques for specific pollutants such as particulate matter, and aerate well (particularly when carrying out high impact emissions such as cooking).”

The current study highlights that to totally detoxify the air in proportion to the room area contributed by a 1 square meter of floor space, there is a need for a minimum of 10 plants in that area. But in the majority of the bigger offices or buildings, employing air exchange systems, including natural ventilation, is the most common practice. While these systems help in throwing out the indoor air and introducing the fresh outdoor air in the area on a regular basis, to offer the same performance equivalent to such systems, one will have to plant approximately 100–1,000 plants per square meter, which is practically impossible. So, the researchers highlighted the need for additional study on the role of plants in improving the quality of air inside homes.

On a similar note, a recent study published in the journal Nature Sustainability highlighted a strong connection between the increased risks of miscarriage in China with air pollution in the country. Earlier, the link between air pollution and a higher risk of strokes, heart attacks, & respiratory diseases was well-known. However, the recent study highlights the need to carry out further research to support Beijing’s attempts to solve the current air pollution issue, which is present in Chinese cities from long ago.

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