Plants not only beautify any room, they may also save you from cancer.
While many people may know plants produce oxygen, researchers say they can also soak up harmful chemicals in the air. University of Technology Sydney (UTS) researchers, in collaboration with plantscaping solutions company Ambius, have found that plants can remove almost all cancer-causing fumes from a room.
“We know that indoor air quality is often significantly more polluted than outdoor air, which in turn impacts mental and physical health.
But the great news is this study has shown that something as simple as having plants indoors can make a huge difference,” says Ambius General Manager Johan Hodgson.
According to the World Health Organization, poor indoor air quality is responsible for 6.7 million premature deathsaround the world.
Most people spend 90 percent of their time inside of a building, whether that’s at home, school, or work. Because of this, it’s really important to have effective strategies in place to help mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution.
Plants can clean up a room in 8 hours
The team found that the Ambius small green wall, which has a mix of indoor plants, was highly effective at removing carcinogenic air pollutants — removing 97 percent of the most toxic compounds from the surrounding air within eight hours.
Their findings were able to validate the positive feedback they received after installing plants in hundreds of office buildings across the country.
“At Ambius, we see over and over again the effects plants have in improving health, wellbeing, productivity and office attendance for the thousands of businesses we work with.
This new research proves that plants should not just be seen as ‘nice to have’, but rather a crucial part of every workplace wellness plan,” Hodgson concludes.
“The bottom line is that the best, most cost effective and most sustainable way to combat harmful indoor air contaminants in your workplace and home is to introduce plants.”
