Paintings, furniture, printers, cleaning products and even clothing that has passed through the dry cleaners release volatile organic compounds (VOC its acronym in English), chemicals that contaminate the interior of the houses and that can cause problems to its inhabitants .
Fortunately, according to a recent study, eliminating the presence of most of these compounds should not be hard work: a series of houseplants can purify the air of homes.
A team of researchers from the State University of New York analyzed different plants in order to determine their ability to remove VOCs from inside the housing. According to their findings, presented at the meeting of the American Chemical Society, jade tree, tape or Malamadre, bromeliads, the ‘Consolea falcata’ a type of Cactus- and plants belonging to the genus ‘Dracanea sp.’ They are the best allies in the fight against indoor pollution.
“The buildings, whether new or old, can have high levels of VOC in them, sometimes so high that you can smell them,” says Vadoud Niri, lead author of the study. “Inhaling large amounts can cause people to develop sick building syndrome, which reduces productivity and can cause dizziness, asthma and allergies,” he explains, and thus remove them from the environment is absolutely necessary.
According to data collected by the team, although all the plants mentioned are especially effective, some are even better with certain compounds ‘. Dracanea sp’ the genus They are able to absorb up to 94% of acetone present in the environment and bromeliads can wipe out up to 80% of most common VOC. Meanwhile, the tapes are particularly fast at the beginning of its activity: just minutes after arriving in the new environment are already working on cleaning.
Find the most suitable for each type of dwelling plant will be key to indoor pollution levels that reduce and avoid all possible problems arising.
