Cleaning the Air With Plants Yields Dramatic Results

Cleaning the air with plants is not necessarily novel news, but a TED 2009 presentation has shown just how powerful this natural method can be. Kamal Meattle explained his experiment which used 3 plants known for their air detoxing capabilities to scrub up the polluted interior air at the Paharpur Business Centre and Software Technology Incubator Park in New Delhi, India. The results were nothing short of amazing.

The New York Times explains:

At about four plants per occupant (1200 plants in all), the building’s air freshened considerably, and the health and productivity results were staggering. Eye irritation dropped by 52 percent, lower respiratory symptoms by 34 percent, headaches by 24 percent and asthma by 9 percent. There were fewer sick days, employee productivity increased, and energy costs dropped by 15 percent.

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