In 1989, NASA, in collaboration with ALCA, conducted the Clean Air Study to determine the effectiveness of houseplants in removing airborne toxins like VOCs within sealed environments, relevant to space stations.
The research demonstrated that specific plants could indeed absorb these pollutants in controlled conditions.
However, subsequent reviews have clarified that the study's findings are often misapplied to typical indoor settings, which benefit from ventilation and require an impractical number of plants for comparable air purification.
While the original research highlighted the potential of plants for VOC removal, its applicability to real-world homes and offices for significant air quality improvement is limited.
Despite this, houseplants still offer other advantages, such as aesthetic appeal and stress reduction. The study, while not a solution for primary air purification in everyday environments, provided initial insights into plant-based air filtration for enclosed spaces.
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