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__NOTOC__ The NASA Clean Air Study was a project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) in 1989, to research ways to clean the air in sealed environments such as
space stations A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station is ...
. Its results suggested that, in addition to absorbing
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
and releasing
oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
through
photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...
, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removing volatile organic pollutants (
benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...
,
formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...
, and
trichloroethylene The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a halocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, colourless non-flammable liquid with a chloroform-like sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, w ...
were tested). These results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removes VOCs at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building’s floor space. The results also failed to replicate in future studies, with a 2014 review stating that "While the plant’s ability to take up VOCs is well documented in laboratory studies, the effect of plants on indoor air in complex environments like offices requires further investigations to clarify the full capacity of plants in real-life settings."


List of plants studied

The following plants were tested during the initial 1989 study:Wolverton, B. C., et al
A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: an interim report.
NASA. September, 1989. *Variegated snake plant / mother-in-law's tongue (
Sansevieria trifasciata ''Dracaena trifasciata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo. It is most commonly known as the snake plant, Saint George's sword, mother-in-law's tongue, and v ...
laurentii) *
English ivy English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...
(''Hedera helix'') *
Peace lily ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of ''Spathiphyllum'' are commonly known as spath or pea ...
(''Spathiphyllum'' 'Mauna Loa') *
Chinese evergreen ''Aglaonema'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and New Guinea.
(''Aglaonema modestum'') * Bamboo palm (''Chamaedorea seifrizii'') * Red-edged dracaena, marginata (''Dracaena marginata'') * Cornstalk dracaena, mass cane/corn cane (''Dracaena fragrans'' 'Massangeana') *
Weeping fig ''Ficus benjamina'', commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok. The ...
(''Ficus benjamina'') * Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (''Gerbera jamesonii'') * Florist's chrysanthemum, pot mum (''Chrysanthemum morifolium'') *Janet Craig (''
Dracaena deremensis ''Dracaena fragrans'' (cornstalk dracaena), is a flowering plant species that is native throughout tropical Africa, from Sudan south to Mozambique, west to Côte d'Ivoire and southwest to Angola, growing in upland regions at altitude.JSTOR Plant ...
"Janet Craig"'') *Warneckei (''
Dracaena deremensis ''Dracaena fragrans'' (cornstalk dracaena), is a flowering plant species that is native throughout tropical Africa, from Sudan south to Mozambique, west to Côte d'Ivoire and southwest to Angola, growing in upland regions at altitude.JSTOR Plant ...
"Warneckei"'')


Study Summary Table

Plants studied in various similar studies on air filtration.


Additional research

Since the release of the initial 1989 study, titled ''A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement: An Interim Report'', further research has been done including a 1993 paperWolverton, B. C. and J. D. Wolverton. (1993)
Plants and soil microorganisms: removal of formaldehyde, xylene, and ammonia from the indoor environment.
''Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences'' 38(2), 11-15. and 1996 bookWolverton, B. C. (1996) ''How to Grow Fresh Air''. New York: Penguin Books. by B. C. Wolverton, the primary researcher on the original NASA study, that listed additional plants and focused on the removal of specific chemicals. A different study in 2004 has also shown that the micro-organisms in the soil of a potted plant remove benzene from the air, and that some plant species themselves also contribute to removing benzene.


See also

*
Dracaena reflexa ''Dracaena reflexa'' (commonly called song of India or song of Jamaica) is a tree native to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its ...
* Green wall *
Indoor air quality Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduce ...
*
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as "the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronom ...
*
Rain garden Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase rain runoff reabsorption by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites t ...
*
Sick building syndrome Sick building syndrome (SBS) is an unsubstantiated diagnosis where health problems are attributed to buildings. The cause of the health problems are unknown. Symptoms attributed to SBS may or may not be a direct result of inadequate cleaning or ...


References

{{Reflist, 30em


External links


'Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution'

How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air – TED 2009.
An extension of the
TED Talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
. Soil science-related lists Lists of plants Building biology 1989 works NASA