Plants in the house do not purify the air

It’s known that walks in a park or forestonly increase our mood, but also give us the opportunity to breathe fresh, purified air. During photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 and produce oxygen, removing pollutants from the air. Therefore, many believed that the same thing should happen with the air in our home. However, the results of a new study, published in the journal Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, state that even if your house is a real mini-greenhouse, the plants in it do not really clean the air.

Alas, to clean the air in the apartment, it is not enough to force the window sills to plants

Office ventilation system is more efficient than home plants

The results of the study showedthat indoor plants do not have a positive effect on indoor air quality, despite the fact that many of us believe in it. While potted plants such as cacti and succulents can be a great addition to the interior, their cleansing abilities are “greatly overrated” and are a “myth,” the researchers write. In fact, scientists have found that competing with the office ventilation system will require 10 to 100 plants per square meter. Research has shown that although individual plants absorb dangerous chemicals that are in the air, they clean it too slowly. This opinion was published by The Daily Mail by one of the authors of the study, Professor Michael Waring of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

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Waring notes that the result of their work,certainly an example of how research findings can be misinterpreted. And this, as you know, can mislead the public. Research results should be regularly checked and questioned if they initially seem unreliable.

What do we breathe at home and at work?

The research team alsoI found that living quarters contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - these particles are formed from various indoor products, such as paints, cleaning products, air fresheners, and interior items. In one of our previous articles, we told you in detail what health problems VOCs cause or, in simple terms, house dust: eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, fatigue, etc. According to the results of previously published studies, for example, work scientists at King's College London, pollution in Europe annually kills about 99 thousand people, and many researchers and doctors consider dirty air the main cause of headaches.

Indoor plants do not clean the air, but help patients recover from surgery

At the same time, scientists believe that the results of theirwork - not a reason to abandon indoor plants. Although they may not really help the lungs, the presence of greenery in our homes and workplaces helps in other ways. Some studies show, for example, that plants help reduce the discomfort of office workers. And the results of another study showed that plants in hospital wards help patients recover from surgery faster.

How did you solve the problem of polluted air at home? You can share your life hacks in the comments and with the participants of our Telegram chat.

As for how to make air at homecleaner at home, here are some useful tips, according to the researchers: get rid of carpets, as they can contain a lot of dust and VOCs. Regularly clean the room so that there is no dust in the air, and also think about how to improve the ventilation system.