Plants remove toxins from the air

Indoor plants can help remove toxins from the air through a process called phytoremediation - the ability of certain plants to absorb and break down pollutants or toxins from the environment, including indoor air. Here's how it works:

1. Airborne Toxin Absorption: Plants have tiny openings on their leaves called stomata, which allow them to take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. These stomata also enable them to absorb other gases, including airborne toxins like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and various chemicals found in indoor air.
   

2. Microbial Activity: Once these toxins are absorbed through the stomata, they are transported to the plant's root zone. In the soil around the roots, there are beneficial microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms can break down and metabolize some of the pollutants, rendering them less harmful.
   

3. Root Uptake: Some toxins are taken up by the plant's roots and transported to the plant's tissues. The plant may store these toxins or further metabolize them, depending on the type of toxin and the plant species.
   

4. Transpiration: Plants also release water vapor through their leaves in a process called transpiration. This water vapor can carry some of the toxins absorbed by the plant into the air in a less harmful form. However, in most cases, the concentration of these toxins in the indoor air remains significantly reduced compared to before the plants were introduced.

We collected a list of studies about air purification by indoor plants:

• The basic roles of indoor plants in human health and comfort

  
  
  
  

• The Role of Indoor Plants in air Purification and Human Health in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proposal for a Novel Line of Inquiry

  
  
  
  

• Plants remove cancer causing toxins from air

  
  
  
  

• Indoor Air Purification by Plants Experiment and Its Arithmetic Mean and Regression Analysis

  
  
  
  

• See more scientific articles here