Decorative plants give a home or office an air of sophistication. Now researchers are saying they also can give the air purification at the same time.
Dr. William C. Wolverton, a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researcher, told Arab News that houseplants can be more than ornamental items. Some houseplants purify air and help reduce the incidence of respiratory ailments, such as allergies and asthma, because they reduce airborne levels of bacteria. He said that back in ‘70s, (NASA) was seeking to develop facilities for long-term space habitation, which was how his research started. The focus was on plants, he said, because they produce oxygen and help to filter both air and water on Earth.
Now retired, Wolverton’s passion to try and solve environmental problems on earth continues. He has been involved in treating domestic and industrial wastewater and improving indoor air quality in public buildings as well as homes.
Although the climate for most Saudi cities is hotter than some plants can bear, Wolverton that doesn’t apply to all plants. The plants listed in his book are generally comfortable to grow in the same light, humidity and temperature as humans. He also mentioned that in cities where the climate is hot and dry, houseplants offer an additional benefit in that they can add humidity indoors.
Without getting too technical, Wolverton explains how the process works.
“Plants can absorb airborne chemicals through their leaves where they are destroyed by the plant,” he said. “Plants also, through the evapotranspiration process, can move the absorbed chemicals down to their roots where microbes living on and around the roots break them down and utilize them as a source of food and energy for themselves as well as the host plant.”
Plants also emit negative ions from their leaves. These help destroy harmful bacteria and viruses near the leaves.
Wolverton has published a couple of books on house plants and indoor environments.
“How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office” has become so popular that it is now available in 11 languages.
Wolverton rated the plants according to their ability to remove chemicals from the air, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation and transpiration rates. Based upon this rating system, the top five plants recommended are, in descending order: Areca palm; Lady Palm; Bamboo Palm; Rubber plant and Dracaena or “Janet Craig.”
On Wolverton’s website, additional benefits are featured, including work by Dr. Virginia I. Lohr of Washington State University noting that some plants can reduce human stress and increase productivity when placed in a room or at the office.
It is true that some plants use a small amount of oxygen at night, however Wolverton acknowledge that others, such as succulents, orchids and bromeliads, actually add oxygen to the air at night. The Sanseviera (Snake Plant or Mother-In-Law’s Tongue), is another easy-to-grow, common plant that too emits oxygen at night.
“The only effect one should receive from filling a bedroom with plants is a feeling of breathing healthy indoor air. And the only caveat is to make sure the soil’s surface is covered to prevent mold spore growth,” he said.
For more information or to contact him, visit Wolverton’s website at: http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com.