What
can pollute the air inside buildings? The answer
is quite a lot! Just a few of the common pollutants
are floor coverings, curtains, upholstery, computer
screens, paper towels and photocopiers. The symptoms
associated with sick buildings include allergies,
asthma, fatigue, headache and sinus congestion.
But help is at hand. When NASA scientists were
looking for a way to provide clean air for proposed
moon bases, they discovered that houseplants could
purify and revitalise air. NASA has tested 50
indoor plants for their efficiency in the removal
of chemical vapours, their ease of growth, resistance
to insect infestation and their transpiration
rate. Areca scored best, with an 8.5 (out of 10)
rating with Kalanchoe scoring lowest with a 4.5
rating.
The 50 plants tested from most “eco-friendly”
to least are: Areca palm, Lady palm, Bamboo palm,
Rubber plant, English ivy, Dwarf date palm, Ficus
alii, Boston fern, Peace lily, Corn plant, Golden
pothos, Kimberley queen, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera,
Dracaena, Dragon tree, Red emerald philodendron,
Syngonium, Dumb cane, Parlour palm, Weeping fig,
Schefflera, Wax begonia, Lacy tree philodendron,
Heart leaf philodendron, Snake plant, Elephant ear
philodendron, Norfolk Island pine, King of hearts,
Prayer plants, Dwarf banana, Christmas and Easter
cactus, Oakleaf ivy, Lily turf, Dendrobium, Spider
plant, Chinese evergreen, Anthurium, Croton, Poinsettia,
Dwarf azalea, Peacock plant, Aloe vera, Cyclamen,
Aechmea, Tulip, Moth orchid, Kalanchoe.
In the early 1970's NASA identified 107 volatile and potentially
dangerous gases in the Sky Lab III space flights. Since
that time, NASA's 20 years of research has shown that
plant leaves, roots and soil bacteria can dramatically
reduce levels of toxic vapours. Like the space shuttle,
tightly sealed buildings retain toxic gases. The result
is polluted indoor air, a condition called "sick
building syndrome". Nearly two decades of NASA tests
reveal that living green and flowering plants clean pollutants
from the air and can make sick buildings healthy. The
NASA tests prove that many frequently used indoor plants
reduce certain toxic chemicals in the air dramatically
- even up to 80% or 90%. The same tests have also proven
that indoor plants are effective as air cleaners.
The problem we have is that most people operating in
the developed countries of the world, unknowingly work
in, shop and relax in these "sick buildings"
which are potential health hazards. Member organizations
of the National Interior Plantscape Association (NIPA)
such as Pynes can assist companies in developing their
own internal plantscape design with specifications for
the correct plant species.
