Concerned by the air pollution caused by an ever-more industrialized society, NASA took a close look at houseplants' ability to reduce indoor air pollutants. They hoped the research might help mitigate the chemicals modern synthetic building materials and furniture can "off-gas" into the air, but they were also looking for ways to maintain air quality inside potential space stations.
NASA tested how well houseplants diffuse chemicals like formaldehyde (found in particle board and many other synthetic home items) and benzene (found in cigarette smoke, but also in some paints and glues). Their findings were originally published in 1989, but still ring true today, and were recently resurfaced as an easy-to-read graphic from Love The Garden.
Consider NASA's picks next time you're shopping for a container garden. Some of them, like the Chinese evergreen, are even hard to kill, so you don't need a green thumb to reap the benefits...Here's what the study found:
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