Houseplants are correctly being labeled as CLEAN AIR MACHINES<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Have you ever considered going indoors to \u201cget a breath of fresh air?\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s not as crazy as it sounds, considering the level of air pollution we experience daily from automobile engines, factories, asphalt plants, and pesticide use.\u00a0 A few well-placed houseplants can make your indoor air safer to breathe.<\/p>\n Houseplants, or tropical foliage plants, are more than just decorative accents.\u00a0 NASA research<\/strong> has shown that tropical plants \u201cscrub\u201d the air, removing toxins commonly found in homes and office buildings.\u00a0 Volatile organic compounds ( VOC\u2019S) known to cause allergic reactions, and even cancer or other serious health problems, have been found by EPA inside newer energy-efficient buildings.\u00a0 New building methods and products have led to what is called \u201csick building syndrome\u201d, where vapors from toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene are trapped inside causing some people to experience headaches, asthma, and other allergy symptoms.\u00a0 Studies are still being made to determine if long-term exposure to these VOC\u2019s can contribute to increased incidences of cancer.\u00a0 In addition to these chemicals, carbon monoxide and \u201cbioeffluents\u201d (gases produced during human respiration) are also sources of indoor pollution.<\/p>\n Ninety percent of people spend nearly 22 hours a day inside without enough sunlight or fresh air.\u00a0 Children spend on average less than one hour per day outside.\u00a0 52% of people in the U.S. are using houseplants to clean the air, according to market research.\u00a0 Since getting outdoors more often is not always an option, bring the outside in with houseplants.\u00a0 This trend is very active with millennials.\u00a0 Millennials are collecting houseplants more than ever and sharing photos of the \u201cloves\u201d on social media.<\/p>\n Plants naturally \u201cbreathe in\u201d carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis.\u00a0 As a result of this process, oxygen is released by the plants\u2019 leaves.\u00a0 Plants also breathe in pollution in the air around them through microscopic openings in the leaves, and the toxins then move through the plant to the root zone.\u00a0 Room air is also drawn into the soil of a potted plant as the plant begins to dry.\u00a0 Microorganisms living around the roots \u201ceat\u201d any of these air-borne pollutants with which they come into contact, breaking down their chemical structures into molecules that can be taken up the plant as nutrients or that remain harmless in the soil.<\/p>\n As a general rule of thumb, the larger the leaves, the more efficient the plant is at cleaning the air, but most plants are doing some good.\u00a0 Tests have shown that, while one plant is better at eliminating one chemical or another, an assortment of plants placed throughout an indoor space should make our homes and offices healthier.\u00a0 Potted plants are air purifiers that don\u2019t require batteries or a filter change.<\/p>\nHOW DO PLANTS \u201cCLEAN THE AIR?”<\/h4>\n