Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XDftX03kAT4   If you’ve been turning your home or apartment into a nursery in hopes of purifying the air you breathe, don’t bother.  Engineers from Philadelphia’s Drexel University critically reviewed the past 30 years’ literature on this topic.   It turns out that the very toxins that plants would be clearing from the air, so-called volatile organic compounds or VOCs, are cleared far more efficiently by natural air circulation through the home than by any resident plants.  The NASA studies that suggested a role for home greenery were conducted in sealed chambers with no ventilation.   So grow plants indoors to enhance your home’s beauty.  To keep the air clean, let fresh, outdoor air circulate freely.   Bryan E. Cummings & Michael S. Waring. Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9   #Plants #cleanair #VOC #airpoll