Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, ammonium chloride, pentachlorophenol (pcp),  carbon monoxide, radiation from our appliances, like computer monitors and television sets... air within our homes , classrooms, kindergartens, offices and factories is significantly more polluted than the air outside. All habitats with low ventilation and with an aim to reduce energy costs caused by air purifier devices are concerned. Awareness of this public health issue has much improved over the recent years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks now indoor air pollution—which originates from many conventional building materials and chemicals commonly used indoor —as one of the top five threats to public health. An average American home has 100 to 200 different air contaminants.

International agencies such as WHO or Greenpeace have issued precise guidelines and warnings based on scientific findings that are worth reading and thinking over.  [see our page : WHO and Greenpeace warnings ] The findings are alarming, especially considering that most of us spend our time dwelling in our homes and in office buildings. 

  " Since man's existence on Earth depends upon a life support system involving an intricate relationship with plants and their associated microorganisms, it should be obvious that when he attempts to isolate himself in tightly sealed buildings away from this ecological system, problems will arise. " say the NASA scientists in Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Pollution Abatement.

       In the eighties the NASA researched techniques for cleansing the atmosphere in space

stations to keep their habitat fit for travels over extended periods of time. Unexpected experiment results over two years in investigations supported by the NASA  and the Associated Landscape contractors of America (ALCA) [see our page : Scientific sources ] confirmed that certain tropical plants with low light requirements were able to use stunning mechanisms to remove harmful gases out of the air, thanks to their particular ability to photosynthesize in harder conditions. This removal is more efficient with time. We show below test results after only 24 hours of exposure. The results are just amazing.

  Since then an increasing number of laboratories the world over have sustained that a wide range of volatile contaminants toxic to human health could be efficiently trapped and degraded with certain plants that have evolved in tropical forests. We show below a chart of the plants with the corresponding rates of degradation.

Further below on this page is an extended A to Z list of the plants that have been tested by various programmes following the first experiments cited above. Not only are these tropical and sub tropical plants able to tolerate low light, they are generally easy growers with low maintenance requirements. They are ideal for promoting green choices in our indoor setting.

It is demonstrated that one plant for every 10 square metres suffices to remove out of a room 70 - 90 % of the pollutants, provided that several species are mixed. The time of removal varies from a few hours to only a few days. [see our page : Scientific sources for precise experimental data]

  < SOURCES of the AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS >

Sources of airborne Benzene   --- Petroleum Products  Synthetic Fibers  Plastics   Inks & Dyes  Rubber Products  Detergents  Tobacco Smoke

Sources of airborne Formaldehyde --- Foam Insulation Plywood or Particle Board Carpeting  Furniture  Paper Products  Cleaners

Sources of airborne Trichloroethylene --- Dry Cleaning  Inks & Dyes  Adhesives  Varnishes  Lacquers Paints

Indoor pollution is not limited to the volatile compounds  carbon monoxide, PCP, ammonium chloride , trichloroethylene, formaldehyde and benzene : we give a list of plants found by several studies to be detoxifiers of more harmful compounds >>> see below our A to Z list of plants

   Plant species that are most efficient at air decontamination - they are listed below - originate from tropical and sub-tropical forests, where they evolved receiving light filtered through the canopy : in order to survive they used a leaf composition allowing them to photosynthesize efficiently despite the reduced light.  In this connection they could find ways to process gasses in the air efficiently.

< PLANTS that DECONTAMINATE VOLATILE POLLUTANTS THROUGH THE PROCESSES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS >

Removal from a Sealed Experimental Chamber by Houseplants During a 24-h Exposure Period

Plants breaking down Benzene & % of Benzene decomposition   -----------         Hedera helix 90% Spatiphyllum 80% Dracaena marginata 79% Dracaena deremensis 78% Epipremnum aureus 73% Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii' 70% Sansevieria sp. 53% Aglaonema 48% Gerbera jamesonii % n/a

Plants breaking down Formaldehyde & % of Formaldehyde decomposition  ----------     Aloe barbadensis 90% Chlorophytum comosum 86% Philodendron 86-76% Dracaena fragans 70% Dracaena Massangeana 70% Ficus benjamina 70% Epipremnum aureum 67% Syngonium podophyllum 67% Dracaena marginata 60% Dracaena deremensis Warneckii 50% Spathiphyllum 50% Nephrolepis exaltata % n/a

Plants breaking down Trichloroethylene & % of Trichloroethylene decomposition  ------------     Spathiphyllum 50% Dracaena deremensis Warneckii 24% Dracaena deremensis 20% Dracaena marginata 13% Sansevieria spp. 13% Hedera helix 11% Chrysanthemum % n/a

Plants breaking down  ammonium chloride &  % of ammonium chloride decomposition   ------------   Rhododendron % n/a

Plants breaking down  pentachlorophenol & % of pcp decomposition --------------       Philodendron % n/a

Plants breaking down  carbon monoxide &  % of  carbon monoxide decomposition -----------   Chlorophytum comosum 96% Epipremnum aureus 75%

       <  A to Z list of laboratory tested plants : CONTACT US  to receive our e-CATALOG links for Wholesale >

A Aechmea fasciata Aglaonema spp Aloe vera Anthurium spp Areca catechu Araucaria heterophylla  B Begonia semperflorens  C Calathea spp Chamaedorea elegans Chamaedorea seifrizii Cissus rhombofilia Chlorophytum spp Chrysalidocarpus lutescens Chrysanthemum morifolium Codiaeum variegatum Cyclamen persicum  D Dendrobium spp Dieffenbachia Dracaena	E Epipremnum spp Euphorbia pulcherrima  F Ficus spp  G Gerbera jamesonii  H Hedera helix Homalomena spp  K Kalanchoe blossfeldiana  L Liriope spicata  M Maranta leuconeura Musa cavendishii	N Nephrolepis exaltata Nephrolepis obliterata  P Phalaenopsis spp. Philodendron spp Phoenix robelenii  R Rhapis excelsia Rhododendron  S Sansevieria spp Schefflera spp Schlumbergera bridgesii Schlumbergera rhipsalidopsis Spathiphyllum spp. Syngonium podophyllum